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Kenneth Crews criticizes lack of options for authors in Google Books Settlement

http://bit.ly/SWCiz  When the author signs rights away to publishers, some contracts allow authors to reclaim rights in the future. Given the two year window to opt out or remove one’s book, a publisher may assent to the google books agreement and the author is out of luck when the rights revert to him or her.   Copyright law, moreover, safeguards authors’ rights after about 35 years, allowing a chance to reclaim copyright.  Again, if the publisher already assents, the author’s power to remove the book has lapsed, despite the right to share in revenue.

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