Intellectual Property Law

Google Tried to Settle Copyright Infringement Cases with $60 in China

By tango

What can $60 do in copyright infringement cases? Google thought this can be the settlement amount. Since Google launched Google Books, its online digital library service (www.print.Google.com) in 2004, the company has overcome quite a few hurdles in obtaining authorization to publish copyrighted works, including reaching settling agreement with the American Society of Composer, Authors and Publisher (ASCAP) in 2008. It recently got into a similar situation in China, after it scanned and placed 17,922 manuscripts belonging to 570 Chinese authors into its database without securing their authorization, according to the allegation. The authors? joint protest against the infringing conducts through the China Writer Association prompted Google to make a statement of settlement. In the statement, Google offered the authors a sixty-dollar compensation for each infringed work, subject to a timely filing of claims (before June, 5^th, 2010). The agreement also provided that Google would remove the work(s) from its online library at the author?s option, or a 63% of the future sales income would be paid as royalty if the author chooses to license the work to Google. The settlement offer was posted on the website of the official Chinese Writer Association website (www.chinawriter.com.cn). Individual authors may accept the resolution by signing the agreement, or further pursue their relieves individually. It can be predicted that many litigations will arise there, as put by Mr. Changtian Zhao, one of the authors whose works were copied: ?Why doesn?t Google scan Harry Porter and put it online, then offer J. K. Rowling $60.00??

Full post as published by BC Law Intell. Prop. & Tech. Forum on October 19, 2009 (boomark / email).