Comments on: Orphan Works bill status http://dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2009/09/25/orphan-works-bill-status/ The source for industry news for the professional cartoonist Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:54:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Mike Peterson http://dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2009/09/25/orphan-works-bill-status/#comment-86680 Mike Peterson Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:00:36 +0000 http://dailycartoonist.com/?p=5500#comment-86680 I'll be interested in reading more on this, but (as reported) it doesn't have much to do with Orphan Works. In particular, I hope any future comparisons break down the books Google has digitalized by whether they are pre- or post-1923, since much of what is in their collection is far out of copyright and shouldn't be included in any statistical discussions. Once that glitch is out of the mix, I'd also want to know how many books Google has posted which did not include information on who wrote them, since I very much doubt that they have digitalized much of anything that would qualify as an "Orphan Work" -- given that, if I write something for a magazine that doesn't get a byline, it didn't amount to much and I don't expect to ever see any big reprint rights check. Illustration work can be different, I understand. (And, for the record, I think that Google Books is guilty of a lot of theft. Just not the same kind as envisioned in the OWA.) I’ll be interested in reading more on this, but (as reported) it doesn’t have much to do with Orphan Works. In particular, I hope any future comparisons break down the books Google has digitalized by whether they are pre- or post-1923, since much of what is in their collection is far out of copyright and shouldn’t be included in any statistical discussions.

Once that glitch is out of the mix, I’d also want to know how many books Google has posted which did not include information on who wrote them, since I very much doubt that they have digitalized much of anything that would qualify as an “Orphan Work” — given that, if I write something for a magazine that doesn’t get a byline, it didn’t amount to much and I don’t expect to ever see any big reprint rights check. Illustration work can be different, I understand.

(And, for the record, I think that Google Books is guilty of a lot of theft. Just not the same kind as envisioned in the OWA.)

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