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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Patrick Ross or Amy Smorodin
November 15 , 2005
(202) 289-8928
   

PFF Names Panelists for Google Print Event
Copyright, Fair Use on Agenda at Friday Congressional Seminar

WASHINGTON D.C. - The Google Print project has sparked controversy among authors, publishers and technologists with an interest in copyright and fair use, resulting in law suits. To discuss the issues surrounding Google Print, The Progress & Freedom Foundation is hosting a Congressional Seminar on November 18th at the Rayburn House Office Building. "Gutenberg Meets Google: The Debate About Google Print" will showcase perspectives from the publishing industry, Google, and the legal community.

The speakers for Friday's panel discussion will include Alan Davidson, Google Inc.'s Washington Policy Counsel. Mr. Davidson, who joined Google's new Washington office in October, is a former Associate Director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, where he specialized in Internet policy.

Allan Adler, the Association of American Publishers' Vice President for Legal and Governmental Affairs, will present a perspective from the publishing industry. Adler previously practiced law, focusing on regulation and policy concerning information technology and communications. The Association of American Publishers has sued Google over its library issues

Another panelist is Keith Kupferschmid, Vice President for Intellectual Property Policy & Enforcement at the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA). Before joining SIIA, Kupferschmid worked as an attorney for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Also joining the panel will be Jonathan Band of Jonathan Band, PLLC, who specializes in intellectual property, administrative litigation and Internet regulation. Band is the author of many articles and books related to intellectual property and electronic commerce. Solveig Singleton, PFF Adjunct Fellow and contributor to PFF's Center for the Study of Digital Property, will moderate the event.

The Google Print Project, billed as a digital card catalog, receives its content from two sources: the Google Print Publisher Program and the Google Print Library Project. At issue is the controversial Google Print Library Project. Google has partnered with various libraries to scan the contents of their collections into the Google Print database. While some view Google's actions as "fair use," others see a violation of copyright law. The panel will discuss these legal issues and what they mean for the future of copyright.

"Gutenberg Meets Google: The Debate About Google Print" will be held in room B369 of the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. from 12:00pm - 2:00pm. Lunch will be served. Those interested in attending can register here. Questions concerning the event should be directed to Eileen Goulding at egoulding@pff.org or 202-289-8928. Media enquiries should be directed to Patrick Ross or Amy Smorodin at 202-289-8928 or pross@pff.org and asmorodin@pff.org, respectively.

The Progress & Freedom Foundation is a market-oriented think tank that studies the digital revolution and its implications for public policy. It is a 501(c)(3) research & educational organization.

 

 

The Progress & Freedom Foundation