All Writers Should Sign The Anti-Google Books Settlement Petition!

Petition Letter to the Judge of the Google Book Settlement

The following petition will be sent directly to Judge Chin by January 28th, 2010, and will also be attached as an exhibit to the brief to be submitted to the court by the NWU, ASJA, and SFWA. After that it may be used in publicity for our side of the issue.

Everyone who has joined my list of authors opposing the Settlement will be a signatory of the letter — except those who don’t want to be.

Signing the letter does not involve you in a legal action of any kind; we are simply submitting an opinion to the court. But if you don’t want your signature on the letter, just write me at googleputsch@bookviewcafe.com or at the Book View Cafe blog and say: Take my name off the letter, please.

You must do so by January 25th, 2010. After that the letter and signatures may be out of my hands.

The list is still open — people may continue signing on until January 25th. I invite you to join us in defense of authors’ rights!

And my heartfelt thanks to all of you who are speaking out with me this way.

— UKL

Writer Ursula K. Le Guin is not shutting up about this.

Add your name and help her give some back!

Previously at Mike Cane 2008:

The Google Book Robbery: I’m Not Alone
The Great Book Bank Robbery
Is Another Suit Against Google Book Search Coming?

Previously here:

The Authors Guild Leadership: 21st Century Chamberlains
Writer Ursula K. Le Guin Nails Authors Guild
And You Will Trust Google With All Of Our Books?
This Is Print Publishing’s Final Warning
Mark The Words Of Dave Winer
Sergey Brin: Also Absolutely Inexcusably Clueless
Google Thinks It Owns Our Books!
The First Step Towards A Google Book Search Solution
Google Always Had POD Planned
God Bless Marybeth Peters Of The Copyright Office!
Google Books Settlement Notes #2
Tomorrow: Google Books Settlement Deadline For Writers
Cooler Adds Google’s One Million ePubs Of Crap!
Google Books Settlement Notes #1
Google’s Great Writer Rip-Off
Google’s One Million eBooks Of Crap!
The Capitulation Of Print Publishing
Reject The Google Book Search Settlement!

Writer 3.0 For Book 3.0

Imagine’s “Transmedia Storytelling” Deal

“Studios gobbled up pre-branded properties like Asteroids and Battleship, but as an exec I would hear pitches from writers and see nobody coming with visuals, and there was nobody at the studio managing intellectual properties over all divisions,” Kadison said.

Boldfaced emphasis added by me.

I really hate the term “transmedia.” I hope we’re not stuck with that. I also hated “multimedia” too, by the way (and strange it was never applied to comic books first — or at all!). People think a new buzzterm is like a magic wand that can automagically create something.

Anyway.

In a prior blog I did a few posts about what I was calling “Writer 2.0.”

Well, the Axis of eCrap (formerly Axis of E) — eInk, ePub, eBook — is coming to its deserved end. And so is Writer 2.0.

In its place will be digital books. And Writer 3.0.

I Help OK Go Give Some Back

The OK Go Fracas

The truth is OK Go’s fighting for its career with its hands tied behind its back.

Piss off EMI.

And from the band itself:

Open Letter From OK Go, regarding non-embeddable YouTube videos

When push comes to shove, however, we like our fans more, which is why you can take the code at the bottom of this email and embed the “This Too Shall Pass” video all over the Internet.

This is 2010. We must all give some back.

Jack Kirby Heirs Fight For Copyright Reversion

1987 San Diego Comic Con – Jack Kirby, originally uploaded by zilberhere.

Marvel Sues Over Copyright Claims by Artist’s Heirs (Update2)

The heirs in September filed dozens of termination notices with the U.S. Copyright Office in a bid to revert Marvel’s rights to them beginning in 2014, Marvel claims. The notices were sent under a law allowing authors and their heirs to terminate copyright deals after a long delay.

Boldfaced emphasis added by me.

Get this:

The comic book publisher and movie producer claims Kirby’s contributions to the comic book superheroes and stories were made-for-hire works, making Marvel the sole owner of the copyrights, according to the complaint.

Boldfaced emphasis added by me.

Go to hell Disney-Marvel.

I hope they win!

Additional:

Reclaiming Your Copyright After Thirty-Five Years

At Mike Cane 2008:

Writer 2.0: Realize Your Investment
Quote: Matt Fraction
Suit Bastard Print Publishers NAILED!
MammothMedia Loses Another Pair Of Balls
Tonight’s TV: Monopoly!
You CAN Fight And WIN!
Writers: Laugh Last, Laugh Best

Previously here:

You Won’t Be Published, You’ll Only Be Robbed
One Simple Question For All Book Publishers
In 2010 Give Some Back
Quote: Writer M.J. Rose
The Authors Guild Leadership: 21st Century Chamberlains
Writer Ursula K. Le Guin Nails Authors Guild
Edgar Allan Poe Knew The Score In The 1800s!
Writing Quote Of The Year: Paul Witcover
YOUR Creation, YOUR Work, YOUR Art
For Writers Only
Quote Of The Day: Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
TV’s Bonanza: With Charles Dickens
He Did Not Back Down
God Bless Marybeth Peters Of The Copyright Office!