Book People Archive

Google and UMich

Google's Copyright Paranoia blocks non-US-citizen from viewing the
full text of books which are PUBLIC DOMAIN world wide. There is no
change in the policy I have criticized at
http://archiv.twoday.net/stories/1073534/

Now UMich is blocking in the same way US-citizen from viewing books
which are PD in the US. See the example at
http://log.netbib.de/archives/2006/09/01/mbooks-online/

I have checked with an US-Proxy: UMich has the same IP rights
management like Google. Us citizen can see the full text of Geibel at
http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015018428865

Geibel died in 1873 (see the UMich catalog entry!) and thus his works
are PD in the EU (and worldwide, including Mexico).

The Chroniken der deutschen Stadte are at UMich in the same way not
free as in the Google. There can be found hundreds of PD books which
UMich sees falsely as copyrighted.

That Google is doing a very poor scanning job (no book without errors)
is well known for all digitization experts.

Its Fraktur OCR is worthless, see
http://log.netbib.de/archives/2006/09/01/bs-e-stinben-men-s-ft-nictt-su/

The decision of the UMich Regents NOT to show library patrons the
digitized books which UMich believes copyrighted makes the whole
effort for Fraktur books actually worthless.

If a German Fraktur book from say 1925 (author died 1945) is scanned
it is PD in the EU 2015. We have to wait until that date before there
is any profit from the scanning. "Search only" does'nt make sense if
there is no searchable OCR text. Let's have a look on an US edition of
Wilhelm Hauff (shown as PD at UMich):

Zcnn menu bit (Iisuen Tieben unub @[redacted] (Iistem
geliebl felt tell!, boss bofet et' sienanbgtasgip
(Slusben, unb en if is Rep.
(Sic (mielten jept gmot)cn Slnicgs'nolf. Die Rod)
cutlet, Sic Sen @[redacted] eon (tines Sbcssmrahcs
(Schalberoff oat' l@[redacted] em(maties ash baum gu.
sun ben (sinufis milpetfeilt baUd, fimrnten oaf cit
@[redacted] mit hem bemein, tat' l@[redacted] (Sorbcs
if rem ttfct ge(fmiebems (matte. Utber ben @[redacted]
beftosh mom olfo sift ben geningflc 3uunti(tl surf r.
Itben tie Sent (,t)ra(es beitusmen?

Can you detect any string worth for searching in this text?

There are thousands of Fraktur books which are OCR'd in this useless
way by Google.

Let's be fair to Google. Its a commercial enterprise no welfare
institution. But there is no excusation for the ignorant and
incompetent UMich librarians who are blocking PD books and ignoring
the serious Fraktur problem.

I sent feedback to UMich libraries concerning the erroneous copyright
restrictions but only get automated responses. No human being has
taken the time to take my critics serious (at
http://archiv.twoday.net/stories/2609488/ ).

All countries have different copyright regimes but if a book is free
in the US and in the EU (70 years post mortem auctoris) there is not
reason to see it not PD worldwide. US libraries are posting EU
copyrighted stuff in their digital libraries without caring for the
copyright (see the OPACs of U Chicago or OHIOLINK). Why is UMich
library blocking foreign users from using books like the Geibel item
which should be free for all? Why is UMich library not giving any
explanation handling the case in the same way as ARCANUM like Google?

Can anyone help non-US-scholars to get their PD-rights?

Thanks!

Dr. Klaus Graf