Google and the New World

[wolfinthewood]

The deadline for filing an objection to the Google Book Settlement, or an amicus brief, "has been extended until 10:00 AM on Tuesday the 8th. Note, however, that the court’s electronic filing system will be unavailable starting at 2:00 PM tomorrow (Thursday, the 3rd) until 8:00 AM on Tuesday the 8th" – James Grimmelmann, The Laboratorium, citing this document. Note well: the opt-out deadline has not changed (despite some false reports to the contrary).

***

Back in July, one of the Settlement's defenders, a US lawyer called David Balto, had this to say:

Google has created a universally accessible, searchable, digital library of unprecedented dimensions. Although this is not a discovery of a "new world" akin to Christopher Columbus' achievement, it has the potential of substantially increasing access to a phenomenal amount of information for millions of consumers. The critics of this endeavor need to learn the lesson of Columbus' critics: the world is not flat. – The Earth is Not Flat: The Public Interest and the Google Book Search Settlement: A Reply to Grimmelmann

The parallel struck me as rather more pointed than I believe Mr Balto intended.

First Voyage of Columbus; letter from Columbus (April–May 1493):

Sir, As I know that you will be pleased at the great victory with which Our Lord has crowned my voyage, I write this to you, from which you will learn how in thirty-three days, I passed from the Canary Islands to the Indies with the fleet which the most illustrious king and queen, our sovereigns, gave to me. And there I found very many islands filled with people innumerable, and of them all I have taken possession for their highnesses, by proclamation made and with the royal standard unfurled, and no opposition was offered to me.

***

In conclusion, to speak only of that which has been accomplished in this voyage, which has been so hasty, their highnesses can see that I will give them as much gold as they may need, if their highnesses will render me very slight assistance … and slaves, as many as they shall order to be shipped, and who will be from the idolators.

Second Voyage of Columbus; memorandum of message sent to Ferdinand and Isabella (1494):

You shall say to their highnesses that the welfare of the souls of the said cannibals, and also of those here, has induced the idea that the more may be sent over, the better it will be, and in this their highnesses may be served in the following way. That, having seen how necessary cattle and beasts of burden are here, for the support of the people who have to be here and indeed for all these islands, their highnesses might give a licence and a permit for a sufficient number of caravels to come here every year and to carry the said cattle and other supplies and things for the colonization of the country and the development of the land, and this at reasonable prices at the cost of those who transport them. Payment for these things could be made to them in slaves, from among these cannibals, a people very savage and suitable for the purpose, and well made and of very good intelligence. We believe that they, having abandoned that inhumanity, will be better than any other slaves, and their inhumanity they will immediately lose when they are out of their own land. And of these they will be able to take many with the oared fustas [boats] which it is proposed to build here. … And further, on these slaves which they carry, their highnesses could levy a duty there.

Translated by Cecil Jane (1879–1932) for the Hakluyt Society

All in the public interest, right?