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“While the discussion has started on this privacy issue because of this bill, I can’t really say very much good about it,” John Simpson from Consumer Watchdog later said on the call. “This bill really adopts and endorses an archaic, bankrupt notice-and-consent regime that we all know does not work.”
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The revised Google Books settlement agreement may quiet international opponents, but it still gives Google a monopoly on commercializing out-of-print books where the copyrights are unclaimed and fails to protect consumer privacy, opponents said on Monday. Also troubling to critics is the fact that the revised settlement circumvents traditional copyright provisions by allowing Google to digitize orphan works without first getting rights holder permission, while any Google competitors are blocked from doing so barring legislation granting them licensing rights. “For the millions of volumes of orphan books that Google has already scanned in, they can offer those without risk of anyone coming forward and suing them for infringement,” said John Simpson, a consumer advocate at Consumer Watchdog.
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Backer of Google Critic Supports Research Showing Users Don’t Want Tailored Ads
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Roughly two-thirds of Americans oppose being
tracked on the Internet in exchange for receiving tailored advertising,
according to a new study by scholars from the University of
Pennsylvania and the University of California, Berkeley.
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$125 Million Pact ‘Raises Significant Issues’
"Clearly, voices such as ours had an impact on Judge Chin," says John
Simpson, of the consumer watchdog known as Consumer Watchdog, one of
the many organizations opposed to the deal. "There was no way the
proposed settlement could go forward. Consumer Watchdog is pleased
there will be a status hearing on the case on Oct. 7." Like the Open Book Alliance – a group that includes the Internet
Archive, Microsoft, and Amazon – Consumer Watchdog advocates solving
the ebook copyright issue with federal legislation. "We believe that will demonstrate that the proper place to solve many
of the case’s thorniest problems, such as that of orphan books, is in
Congress," Simpson says. "Consumer Watchdog urges Congress to act
expeditiously because it is important to build digital libraries."
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The U.S. Department of Justice late Friday urged the court overseeing Google’s book search settlement with authors and publishers to reject the settlement in its current form, although it strongly hinted that the parties are flexible on certain provisions.
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By failing to pass orphan works legislation in previous sessions, Congress practically guaranteed a messy settlement would result from Google’s scanning and display of millions of out-of-print works found only in libraries, several lawmakers said at a House Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday. Consumer Watchdog’s John M. Simpson, perhaps Google’s most vocal
nonprofit critic in Washington, said the settlement "simply furthers
the relatively narrow agenda" of Google, the Authors Guild and
Association of American Publishers. Congress should pass orphan-works
or fair-use legislation, so Google won’t get an "unprecedented
monopolistic advantage" over some books.
Press Release
Testimony Says Deal Violates Law, Is Anti-Competitive And Raises Privacy Concerns
WASHINGTON, DC — The proposed Google Books settlement should be
rejected because it is anticompetitive, violates both U.S. and
international law and raises substantial threats to privacy, Consumer
Watchdog’s John M. Simpson told the House Judiciary Committee today.
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A group of 10 consumer advocacy groups, including the U.S. Public
Interest Research Group, Consumers Union and the Consumer Federation of
America, has called on the U.S. Congress to enact legislation to
protect consumer privacy amid the growing use of Internet technology
that tracks consumers’ online behavior. A bill is expected to be
submitted this fall in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s
Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet.
Press Release
Brief Argues Books Settlement Violates Both U.S. And International Copyright Law, Is Anticompetitive
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Consumer Watchdog today filed a brief urging a
federal court to reject the proposed Google Books settlement because it
is anticompetitive and violates both U.S. and international law.
Separately, the consumer group called a Books privacy policy Google
offered late last week inadequate.
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As Congress considers new privacy legislation, consumer and privacy
groups have put forward their proposals for limiting online data
collection. A coalition of groups including the Center for Digital
Democracy, Consumer Watchdog and the Electronic Frontier Foundation
submitted its views to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
