Comments on: Rehearsal for Amazon probe? Justice Department investigating Google Book Settlement http://www.teleread.org/2009/04/28/rehearsal-for-amazon-probe-justice-department-investigating-google-book-settlement/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:46:44 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: David Rothman http://www.teleread.org/2009/04/28/rehearsal-for-amazon-probe-justice-department-investigating-google-book-settlement/comment-page-1/#comment-1046716 David Rothman Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:09:42 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/04/28/rehearsal-for-amazon-probe-justice-department-investigating-google-book-settlement/#comment-1046716 Hey, HG, I agree that people make mistakes. But Amazon sure tends to make convenient ones for its shareholders ;-) I've of course noted, again and again, that I have found no definite proof--just some <em>very</em> interesting weirdness worthy of investigation. Thanks. David Hey, HG, I agree that people make mistakes. But Amazon sure tends to make convenient ones for its shareholders ;-) I’ve of course noted, again and again, that I have found no definite proof–just some very interesting weirdness worthy of investigation. Thanks. David

]]> By: HeavyG http://www.teleread.org/2009/04/28/rehearsal-for-amazon-probe-justice-department-investigating-google-book-settlement/comment-page-1/#comment-1046684 HeavyG Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:21:39 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/04/28/rehearsal-for-amazon-probe-justice-department-investigating-google-book-settlement/#comment-1046684 I'm glad to see the DOJ looking into the Google Book Settlement not because I have any anti-trust concerns. Rather, I was curious as to what legal standing the Author's Guild really has to basically "speak" for the gazillions of books that exist that really have no direct business relation to the Author's Guild membership. How can this agreement between Google and the AG really apply to ALL the books Google has scanned into their system? As far as your ongoing feelings of Amazon conspiracies let me share something that just happened to me a few minutes ago. I just ordered the Kindle version of Mark Helprin's new book "Digital Barbarism". The book arrived a couple of minutes later and I opened it up and started reading. After reading a few paragraphs it seemed to me that this just didn't feel like the right book so I opened up the cover page and sure enough there was a cover for a different book. Though the title of the book I was sent and opened said it was "Digital Barbarism" by Mark Helprin there is a glitch in their database and what was actually sent was a book by Logan and Noah Miller titled "Either You're In or You're In The Way". Oooops. I alerted amazon to the problem and I am sure they will fix it soon. The point is that humans enter all the data into Amazon's system and mistakes will happen. Of course I could be wrong and there is actual evil intentional manipulation behind these sort of mishaps :) I’m glad to see the DOJ looking into the Google Book Settlement not because I have any anti-trust concerns. Rather, I was curious as to what legal standing the Author’s Guild really has to basically “speak” for the gazillions of books that exist that really have no direct business relation to the Author’s Guild membership.

How can this agreement between Google and the AG really apply to ALL the books Google has scanned into their system?

As far as your ongoing feelings of Amazon conspiracies let me share something that just happened to me a few minutes ago.

I just ordered the Kindle version of Mark Helprin’s new book “Digital Barbarism”. The book arrived a couple of minutes later and I opened it up and started reading. After reading a few paragraphs it seemed to me that this just didn’t feel like the right book so I opened up the cover page and sure enough there was a cover for a different book. Though the title of the book I was sent and opened said it was “Digital Barbarism” by Mark Helprin there is a glitch in their database and what was actually sent was a book by Logan and Noah Miller titled “Either You’re In or You’re In The Way”.

Oooops. I alerted amazon to the problem and I am sure they will fix it soon.

The point is that humans enter all the data into Amazon’s system and mistakes will happen.

Of course I could be wrong and there is actual evil intentional manipulation behind these sort of mishaps :)

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