Tuesday 18 May 2010

More on the Google Books Settlement

Publishing executive turned industry consultant Michael Cairns has prepared a useful report which makes some well informed predictions about how the Google books project might play out, particularly interesting from our perspective are the predictions on pricing and how important the product might become for academic and research libraries.

If you're not up to date with what the Google Books settlement is, the the first couple of pages of the report are an excellent synopsis of the background and legal issues at stake.

Summary Findings of the Report:

* Libraries will see tremendous advantages – both immediate and over time - from the GBS, although concerns have been voiced (notably from Robert Darnton of Harvard)
* Google’s annual subscription revenue for licensing to libraries could approach $260mm by year three of launch
* Over time, publishers (and content owners) will recognize the GBS service as an effective way to reach the library community and are likely to add titles to the service
* Google will add services and may open the platform for other application providers to enhance and broaden the user experience
* The manner in which the GBS deals with orphan works will provide a roadmap for other communities of ‘orphans’ in photography, arts, and similar content and intellectual property


http://personanondata.blogspot.com/2010/04/database-of-riches-business-model.html