by Nicholas Pullen, media partner with TressCox Lawyers, MelbourneThe recent announcement of a proposed settlement in the class action by US publishers and authors in the copyright case against Google signals an inevitable, but nevertheless worrying, milestone in the collection and storage of the world’s information.The deal will not have financial benefits for Australian publishers and will only provide Australian authors with diluted revenues as royalties will be paid directly to US publishers. It will have no cultural benefit for Australian people, with the internet behemoth Americanising all content for the US market, and finally, it will hold a dangerous monopoly over charges and public access to information.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/28/2432568.htm