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Google, Association of American Publishers strike deal over book digitization

Brian Heater — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:44:00 -0400

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) and Google today announced an agreement that marks the end of nearly seven years of litigation, kicked off in 2005, when five members of the organization filed an infringement suit against the online giant. The deal helps bring digitized books and journals to the Google Library Project, giving publishers control over what content will make it into Google's collection. Publishers who opt to keep their book in the online library will get access of the digital copy for their own purposes. As a jointly issued press release notes, the deal, which includes McGraw-Hill, Penguin, Wiley, Pearson Education and Simon & Schuster, does not impact current Authors Guild litigation.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: Google

WSJ: Google set to acquire Frommer's from Wiley, add trusted travel reviews

Zach Honig — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 11:48:00 -0400

Just one year after its Zagat acquisition, Google has made a move on another trusted lifestyle brand. John Wiley & Sons Inc., the current owner of the Frommer's network of travel sites and guide books, confirmed the Mountain View acquisition, with a closing expected shortly. According to The Wall Street Journal, Google hasn't made a call concerning Frommer's printed guidebooks, which don't necessarily fall in line with the company's otherwise online-only model. It's also unclear whether or not the new content arm will fall under Zagat's leadership, though a department executive did comment on the acquisition in an interview, saying that Google planned to keep Frommer's on its current path for the time being. Neither company was able to confirm pricing for the buyout, which could help Google boost its reviews portfolio, backing user-submitted travel content with professional credibility. Full details are at the source link below.

Update: As it turns out, Google will reportedly be keeping the print staff on board, moving the team to its NYC offices. Online editors are less fortunate, however, with layoffs having already begun.

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Amazon loses exclusive deal with Andrew Wiley

Laura June — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:32:00 -0400

Amazon's exclusive digital distribution deal with star literary agent Andrew Wiley looks like it wasn't all it was cracked up to be; in fact, it seems to have fallen through before the ink dried on the contracts. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Andrew Wiley is "largely abandoning" the agreement it struck with Amazon after 13 of the 20 titles supposedly included in the deal -- published by Random House -- came up for debate. The books, which included works by John Updike, VS Naipaul and Dave Eggers, among others, will now be digitally distributed by Random House itself to Amazon. While neither Wiley nor Amazon commented on the failed deal, we have a feeling that the Kindle maker will still sleep just fine this evening.

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Buy this book: Chris Ziegler's 'Palm Pre for Dummies'!

Joshua Topolsky — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:03:00 -0400

Now look, we're not calling you stupid or anything -- but you don't really know what to do with that phone... do you? Why don't you make things easier on everyone and just pick up this handy tome, written by our in-house Dostoyevsky, Engadget Mobile lead Chris Ziegler. We don't want to ruin anything for you here, but by the time you're done with this sweet piece, you'll be so handy with a Pre, Palm will call you for tech support. Is that overselling it? Nah.