After three years of conflict, Google reached a settlement with the
associations of authors and publishers in October 2008, with an
agreement to be signed during the next years. The inclusion of
copyrighted works in Google Books -- launched in April 2005 as Google
Print - had been widely criticized by authors and publishers worldwide.
In the U.S., lawsuits were filed by the Authors Guild and the
Association of American Publishers (AAP) for alleged copyright
infringement. The assumption was that the full scanning and digitizing
of copyrighted books infringed copyright laws, even if only snippets
were made freely available. Google had replied this was "fair use",
referring to short excerpts from copyrighted books that could be
lawfully quoted in another book or website, as long as the source
(author, title, publisher) was mentioned.
November 2008 > Europeana, the European digital library
This European digital library -- named Europeana - opened its "virtual"
doors in November 2008, with two million documents. As a first step,
the European Library was a common portal for 43 national libraries,
launched in January 2004 by the CENL (Conference of European National
Librarians) and hosted on the website of the National Library in the
Netherlands. In March 2006, the European Commission launched the
project of a European digital library, after a "call for ideas" during
three months, from September to December 2005. Europeana was offering 6
million documents in March 2010, and 10 million documents on a revamped
website in September 2010.
November 2009 > The Nook, an ebook reader launched by Barnes & Noble
In November 2009, Barnes & Noble launched the Nook, its own ebook
reader, for US $259, after announcing it in October 2009. Based on the
Android platform, the original device included a 6-inch E Ink display,
with WiFi and 3G connectivity. In June 2010, the price of the original
Nook was reduced to $199, and a new WiFi-only model was launched for
$159. The Nook Color was announced in October 2010, for the full-color
viewing of magazines and picture books. In November 2010, the website
of Barnes & Noble offered 2 million ebooks for the Nook.
April 2010 > The iPad, a multifunctional tablet launched by Apple
In April 2010, Apple launched the iPad, its multifunctional tablet, in
the U.S. for US$499, with an iBookstore of 60,000 ebooks, and many more
to come from partnerships with publishers. The iPad was available in a
few European countries in June 2010. After the iPod (launched in
October 2001) and the iPhone (launched in January 2007), two cult
devices for a whole generation, Apple has also become a key player for
digital books.
April 2010 > A quote by Catherine Domain, bookseller and publisher of
travel books
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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