Copyright Controversy

Google has been continuing its journey into the book world with its library scanning project. While this was controversial two years ago when the project first started, Google has now added the option to print books that are in the library archives. Granted, these books are classics in public domain as far as copyright is concerned, but some fear this new availability will cut into publishers' sales. On the other hand, publishers don't have to pay for access to these public domain texts, so why should anybody else? Read the Publishers Weekly article here.

On another note, Becky Zinkgraff of Mine Press in Portland, Oregon, uses her artistic skills to push the boundaries of copyright. "I decided to start a project that kind of 'hovered' around copyright," Zinkgraff said of the origins of Mine Press. "It was to remind myself that the law was originally meant to protect against plagiarism and not to stop me from taking in the world around me and offering it up in my own form. I wanted to prove to myself that I can make art without plagiarism that references and uses the world around me." Read the WiPP interview here.