LCA and a coalition of public interest and technology groups join EFF to file amicus brief in UMG v. Veoh - July 28, 2010
The Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) has joined a coalition of public interest and technology groups in an amicus curie or 'friend of the court' brief written by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) asking the Ninth Circuit to reject the arguments made by Universal Music Group (UMG)… Read More
European Commission okays Google project to digitise archives of Dutch library - July 16, 2010
The European Commission has reportedly stated that it does not object to Google digitising 160,000 books in the archives of the National Library of the Netherlands if these will be made available publicly. The Dutch library, Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB), recently announced an agreement with Internet search… Read More
Discovery sues Amazon for patent infringement over Kindle for the second time - July 16, 2010
Media company Discovery Communications intellectual property subsidiary Discovery Patent Holdings has reportedly filed a suit against online books retailer Amazon.com, Inc. According to the company, Amazon's line of Kindle e-book readers infringe on two patents held by the company. The suit is the second between the… Read More
The National Library of Netherlands signs book digitisation agreement with Google - July 15, 2010
The National Library of Netherlands, Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB), has announced an agreement with Internet search services provider Google. Under the deal, Google will digitise more than 160,000 out-of-copyright (public domain) books from the library's collection. The books will be fully searchable and accessible for free via… Read More
Paper on impact of Google Book Search project published - July 14, 2010
UC Berkeley law professor Pamela Samuelson has published a paper titled 'Google Book Search and the Future of Books in Cyberspace', according to the Open Book Alliance (OBA). Samuelson is an advocate for the public interest in the Google Book Search (GBS) debate. In the paper,… Read More
ICMJE finalises conflict-disclosure form - July 12, 2010
The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recently announced the final version of its uniform conflict-of-interest disclosure document. The five-page form queries authors submitting articles for publication about their financial ties to industry firms in the previous three years. In a shift from the original… Read More
China renews Google’s operating licence - July 12, 2010
Internet search services provider Google Inc. has announced that China has renewed its Internet licence, after the company's local venture pledged to allow its Web content to be supervised by regulators. An official with China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology confirmed that the licence was… Read More
LCA files brief in case involving first-sale doctrine - July 9, 2010
The Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) has filed an amicus curiae brief with the Supreme Court of the US in support of petitioner Costco Wholesale Corporation in a lawsuit filed against Costco by luxury watch manufacturer Omega. The LCA comprises the American Library Association (ALA), the Association… Read More
Documents show Wyeth employed ghostwriters for scientific articles - July 8, 2010
Documents opened as part of a lawsuit against pharmaceuticals manufacturer Wyeth Pharmaceuticals have revealed that the company used ghostwriters to prepare 40 medical journal articles. These articles were written to promote the use of the company's hormone-replacement drug, Prempro. Use of hormone replacement therapy dropped, with a corresponding drop in… Read More
EU to look closely at Google antitrust probe - July 8, 2010
The European Union's antitrust chief, Joaquin Almunia, has reportedly said that his office is continuing to investigate antitrust concerns about Google Inc. During a recent speech on digital media in London, Almunia said that the EU investigation is still at an early stage but that officials… Read More
