Category Archives: copyright

In which I finally buy an ebook

Posted on July 30, 2012 by John Mark Ockerbloom

In my last post, I discussed why I wanted to buy ebooks I could truly own, and my subsequent attempts to buy such a  copy of John Scalzi’s Redshirts from a readers’-rights-friendly retailer.  I initially had a hard time finding … Continue reading →

Posted in copyright, formats, online books, reading, science fiction | 8 Comments

In which I try to buy an ebook

Posted on July 29, 2012 by John Mark Ockerbloom

Not long ago I went to the bookstore and bought some books. This is how: I found some books I liked on the shelves, brought them to the front counter, and handed the clerk some money.  The clerk put my … Continue reading →

Posted in copyright, online books, reading, science fiction | 1 Comment

Building on a full complement of copyright records

Posted on July 22, 2012 by John Mark Ockerbloom

Thanks to recent efforts of the US Copyright Office, we now have a complete digitization of summary copyright registration and renewal records back to the late 19th century.  As Mike Burke and others at the Copyright Office have been reporting … Continue reading →

Posted in citizen librarians, copyright, open access, sharing | 1 Comment

Why The Online Books Page is black for January 18

Posted on January 17, 2012 by John Mark Ockerbloom

As I mentioned in my last post, the US Congress is currently considering two bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA),that would make it easy for copyright infringement complaints (whether ultimately justified or not) … Continue reading →

Posted in censorship, copyright, online books | 4 Comments

Public Domain Day 2012: Five things we can do in the US

Posted on January 1, 2012 by John Mark Ockerbloom

It’s New Year’s Day again, and in much of the world, this means another year’s worth of works enter the public domain.  That’s a cause for celebration, as Europe and many other countries that have “life+70 years” copyright terms welcome … Continue reading →

Posted in copyright, libraries, online books, open access | 2 Comments

My mother’s orphan

Posted on October 7, 2011 by John Mark Ockerbloom

Before my mother was pregnant with me, she was working on a book. The book had begun its gestation at least a year before. She had been teaching math in Massachusetts, and was involved with the Madison Project, one of … Continue reading →

Posted in copyright, findingada, online books, open access, people, preservation, sharing, teaching | 4 Comments

Early journals from JSTOR and others

Posted on September 23, 2011 by John Mark Ockerbloom

Earlier this month,  JSTOR announced that it would provide  free open access to their earliest scholarly journal content, published before 1923.  All of this material should be old enough to be in the public domain.  (Or at least it is … Continue reading →

Posted in copyright, open access, serials, sharing | 1 Comment

A digital public library we still need, and could build now

Posted on June 15, 2011 by John Mark Ockerbloom

It’s been more than half a year since the Digital Public Library of America project was formally launched, and I’m still trying to figure out what the project organizers really want it to be.  The idea of “a digital library … Continue reading →

Posted in citizen librarians, copyright, libraries, people, sharing | 11 Comments

Opt in for open access

Posted on April 9, 2011 by John Mark Ockerbloom

There’s been much discussion online about Judge Chin’s long-awaited decision to reject the settlement proposed by Google and authors and publishers’ organizations over the Google Books service. Settlement discussions continue (and the court has ordered a status conference for April … Continue reading →

Posted in copyright, libraries, online books, open access | Comments Off on Opt in for open access

Public Domain Day 2011: Will the tide be turned?

Posted on January 2, 2011 by John Mark Ockerbloom

This year’s Public Domain Day, the day on which a year’s worth of copyrights expire in many countries, is getting particular attention in Europe, where events in various European cities commemorate authors who died in 1940, and whose works are … Continue reading →

Posted in copyright | 8 Comments