With the backing of some of the groups opposed to the Google Library project, the Open Content Alliance should experience smooth sailing.
In other words, the group trying to tie up Google in the courts is off doing something very similar on it's own. Typical outcomes for such efforts is to plod along offering competition to the product being litigated and in the process try to make the venture unprofitable for the target organization. Once case is settle out of court (or in) competing product is dropped like a hot potato.
Why would ANYONE trust Yahoo, MSN, HP or Adobe with content of any kind?
I fail to see what is wrong with the Google approach: I can search on content with strings. If the found content is not under copyright I have full access to it right away. If the found content is still under copyright I can at least verify that it actually covers the topic I'm interested in (as opposed to just containing a word or two in the glossary) and I can then procede to order the book, go to my public library, or whatever I need to do to get the information.
I love Project Gutenberg and the like, but considering the players involved this thing stinks to high heaven.
Of course Google could just make it easy on themselves and pull the plug on their efforts right now. Let these bandwagoneers do the heavy lifting and just provide searches on it all (which they are likely to do in any event).
My guess is though that this group will disband about a day after Google stops scanning.
We WILL get fooled again!
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