Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Joins Open Book Alliance

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Open Book Alliance
announced today that the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
(SFWA(R)) has joined the coalition of librarians, legal scholars, authors,
publishers, and technology companies dedicated to countering the proposed
Google Book Settlement.

"We are thrilled that SFWA(R) has joined our unique and diverse group of
academic, professional, and industry organizations," said Alliance co-chair
Peter Brantley. "More and more, people across the spectrum of this issue are
recognizing that the settlement as it is currently proposed is not the right
way to bring about the promise of the mass digitization and distribution of
books."

Founded in 1965 by the late Damon Knight, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers
of America brings together the most successful and daring writers of
speculative fiction throughout the world. Since its inception, SFWA(R) has
grown in numbers and influence until it is now widely recognized as one of the
most effective non-profit writers' organizations in existence, boasting a
membership of more than 1,500 professional science fiction and fantasy writers
as well as artists, editors and allied professionals. Each year the
organization presents the prestigious Nebula Awards(R) for the year's best
literary and dramatic works of speculative fiction.

"SFWA is excited to be a part of the Open Book Alliance, and we're supportive
of the work being done by this diverse group," said Russell Davis, President
of SFWA. "The members of this group make clear that the concerns about the
Google Book Settlement are shared by many organizations from numerous
perspectives in publishing and other, related industries. As an organization,
our concerns are myriad, as we indicated in our public statement issued on
August 8th, 2009, which can be read at
http://www.sfwa.org/2009/08/sfwa-statement-on-proposed-google-book-settlement,
among them:
-- The proposed Google Book Settlement potentially creates a monopoly by
granting Google excessive power to control the market for out-of-print
books that are offered to the general public.
-- The "opt-out" mechanism proposed for the settlement
contradicts the very foundation of copyright.

-- By settling, Google never fully addressed and litigated the issue of
copyright infringement/fair use, which was at the heart of the 2005
lawsuit brought forth by the Authors Guild and the Association of
American Publishers. The settlement further obfuscates the issue of
how
Google's scans and publication of the snippets should be treated
under U.S. copyright law."

The Open Book Alliance will work to inform policymakers and the public about
the serious legal, competitive, and policy issues in the settlement proposal.
Other members of the Alliance include:

-- Amazon (amazon.com)
-- American Society of Journalists and Authors (asja.org)
-- Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (clmp.org)
-- Internet Archive (archive.org)
-- Microsoft (microsoft.com)
-- New York Library Association (nyla.org)
-- Small Press Distribution (spdbooks.org)
-- Special Libraries Association (sla.org)

-- Yahoo! (yahoo.com)

In 2005, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and the Authors' Guild
filed suit against Google, objecting to the company's mass digitization of
millions of books on copyright violation grounds. The parties privately
settled for $125 million and devised a scheme that would permit Google to
charge libraries and consumers for access to the digitized books. Under the
deal, Google, the Authors Guild and the AAP would gain significant new powers
to control the fledgling market for digital books.

The Open Book Alliance can be found online at http://www.openbookalliance.org,
and on Twitter @OBAlliance.

Media/Blogger Contact:
openbookalliancepress@yahoo.com
or
Russell Davis
SFWA
(775) 443-6390
westernreason@gmail.com

SOURCE Open Book Alliance

Russell Davis, SFWA, +1-775-443-6390, westernreason@gmail.com, or
openbookalliancepress@yahoo.com, for the Open Book Alliance