Google says ‘Sorry’ to Chinese authors
p2pnet news view P2P | Advertising:- Giant online advertising outfit Google has generously apologised to Chinese writers such as Mian Mian (right).
She sued the company for copyright violation after more than 80,000 Chinese books had their copyrights violated by Gargle, said China Daily recently.
“According to a list of Chinese books Google had scanned to put up in its digital library, 8,000 pieces of works of 2,600 writers from Chinese Writers Association were involved in the case, said China Written Works Copyright Society (CWWCS),” it stated.
Now Asia-Pacific head of Google Books Erik Hartmann has said Sorry.
“Through the discussions and communications of recent months, it is our understanding that our communications with Chinese writers have not been good enough,” Hartmann says, according to the latest China Daily post.
“Google is willing to apologise to Chinese authors.”
In addition, Goople will “provide an expanded list of Chinese books it used, and a timetable for resolution of the copyright issue,” says Zhang Hongbo, deputy director of China Written Works Copyright Society, in the story.
China Daily also quotes Yang Chengzhi, secretary of the Chinese Writers Association (CWA), as stating:
“We will have a serious study of the apology and hear the authors’ opinions before we decide whether or not to accept Google’s apology.”
Although Google claims “scanning books and allowing readers to browse them on the Internet is legal, it has never provided the relevant laws that support its argument,” said Wang Ziqiang, director of the department of copyright management under China’s National Copyright Administration, the story adds.

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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
copyright violation – Chinese author sues Google, December 29, 2009
China Daily - Writer sues Google for copyright infringement, December 16, 2009
China Daily – Google apologizes to Chinese writers, January 11, 2010
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Google apologizes to Chinese writers






January 13th, 2010 at 11:50 am
“Giant online advertising outfit Google”
Question: When a company uses advertising as a secondary stream of income does that automatically invalidate their primary business purpose? Using name calling as a tactic to discredit you opponent only discredits you.
January 13th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
@ RW: “advertising as a secondary stream of income”
It’s not secondary. It’s primary.
Cheers!
January 13th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Google’s primary business function is that of a search engine. Everything else is secondary. So if your main stream of revenue is advertising, does that make P2Pnet a Canadian online advertising outfit?
January 13th, 2010 at 2:45 pm
@RW: “Google’s primary business function is that of a search engine”
Oh Rilly?
Cheers!
January 13th, 2010 at 10:47 pm
No… Google makes cars.