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TECHNOLOGY A23
Wednesday 21 October
U.S. appeals court rules in favor of Google’s online library
LARRY NEUMEISTER In this March 21, 2008 file photo, a scanner passes over a book at the University of Michigan in Ann tal copies of tens of millions
Associated Press Arbor, Mich., where one of hundreds of librarians from all over the world was helping Google Inc.’s of books from major re-
NEW YORK (AP) — Google Book Search create digital versions of all the estimated 50 million to 100 million books in the world. search libraries and estab-
is not violating copyright lished a publicly available
laws by digitizing millions Associated Press search function. It planned
of books so it can provide ultimately to scan over 100
small portions of them to appeals court agreed, holders with any significant lenged Google in 2005, million books, including
the public, a federal ap- saying the snippet fea- harm to the value of their contending that the digi- material from the New York
peals court ruled Friday in a ture “substantially protects copyrights or diminish their tal book project violated Public Library, Library of
decadelong dispute by au- against its serving as an ef- harvest of copyright rev- their rights. Writers includ- Congress and several ma-
thors worried that the proj- fectively competing substi- enue.” ed Jim Bouton, author of jor universities.
ect would spoil the market tute for plaintiffs’ books.” The three-judge appeals the best-seller “Ball Four,” The appeals court said
for their work. It added: “Snippet view, at panel did acknowledge, Betty Miles, author of “The Google’s profit motivation
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court best and after a large com- though, that some book Trouble with Thirteen,” and does not justify denial of
of Appeals in Manhattan mitment of manpower, pro- sales would likely be lost Joseph Goulden, author something that overall en-
agreed with a judge who duces discontinuous, tiny if someone were merely of “The Superlawyers: The hances public knowledge.
concluded that the snip- fragments, amounting in searching for a portion of Small and Powerful World “Many of the most univer-
pets Google showed cus- the aggregate to no more text to ascertain a fact. of Great Washington Law sally accepted forms of fair
tomers from its database than 16% of a book. This The Authors Guild and Firms.” use, such as news reporting
was a transformative use does not threaten the rights various authors had chal- Google Inc. has made digi- and commentary, quota-
of the information and thus tion in historical or analytic
did not violate copyright books, reviews of books,
laws. and performances, as well
Judge Denny Chin ruled as parody, are all normal-
in November 2013 that ly done commercially for
Google’s digitization of profit,” the court noted.
over 20 million books, most- The appeals panel said it
ly out-of-print titles, did not recognized that libraries
violate copyrights because that had negotiated with
the Mountain View, Califor- Google to receive digital
nia-based company only copies from the company
showed short sections of might use them in an in-
the books in its database. fringing manner. It said that
Chin had said it would be could expose the libraries
difficult for anyone to read and Google to liability but
any of the works in their called it “sheer specula-
entirety by repeatedly en- tion” to raise the issue now.
tering different search re- Lawyers did not immedi-
quests. ately return messages seek-
In an opinion written by ing comment.q
Judge Pierre N. Leval, the
GM says Chevy Bolt electric range could be over 200 miles
TOM KRISHER to take advantage of the GM’s 200-mile range es- powered cars more ap- which also would go about
AP Auto Writer global thirst for SUVs. timate for the Bolt is a bit pealing to the masses. 200 miles per charge. The
WARREN, Mich. (AP) — Gen- The comments were made conservative, product de- Reuss said the partner- car is due out in 2017.
eral Motors’ entry into the at an event at GM’s tech- velopment chief Mark Re- ship with LG Chem and LG Currently Tesla’s Model S se-
long-range electric vehicle nical center north of Detroit uss told reporters, without electronics enabled GM dan can go up to 270 miles
market should be able to announcing joint develop- giving a number. to overcome range, price per charge, but it starts at
go more than 200 miles on ment efforts with LG Elec- and utility limitations that more than $70,000.
a single charge, company tronics of Korea to design GM unveiled the Bolt early have hampered main- Pam Fletcher, GM’s ex-
officials said Tuesday. the Bolt’s electric motor, this year as it tries to com- stream electric car sales in ecutive chief engineer for
heating and air condition- pete with Tesla Motors and the past. The Bolt will cost electric vehicles, said the
The company also plans ing system, infotainment other automakers that are under $30,000 including a company will try to get the
to market the Chevrolet screen and other compo- working on long-range $7,500 federal electric car Bolt classified as an SUV be-
Bolt, a small hatchback car nents. LG Chem already electrics. Many industry tax credit. At that price, the cause it has the “spacious-
due out late next year, as has worked with GM on the watchers see the 200-mile car would be in the range ness and utility” of a larger
a crossover SUV as it tries battery design. range as making battery- of Tesla’s planned Model III, vehicle.q
