In the news this week

• The death of books as been greatly exaggerated
  Lloyd Shepherd from The Guardian on the death of books
   
• Cultural boost: Chinese delegates donate 800 books to UWS libraries
  A group of visiting Chinese authors and cultural officials have donated 800 books to UWS
   
• Move by Universities Creates New Problem for Google Books Deal
  Jeff Roberts talks about an initiative that could change the future of copyright law
   
• Amazon Kindle Cloud Reader Lowers the Speed Bump for E-Books
  Bill Rosenblatt from Copyright and Technology talks about Amazon’s recently-launched Kindle Cloud Reader
   
• Academic publishers make Murdoch look like a socialist
  George Monbiot from The Guardian explains how academic publishers are charging fees for access to research
   
• Uninformed, Unhinged, and Unfair – The Monbiot Rant
  Kent Anderson from the Society for Scholarly Publishing responds to George Monbiot’s article above
   
• New Zealand Press Association to close
  Unable to adapt to changing technology, the New Zealand Press Association is closing down
   
• Novelists need publishers
  Jane Rogers from The Guardian talks about how novelists need publishers
   
• Wile E. Coyote and Print Publishing – The Tragicomedy of Desperate Measures
  Kent Anderson from the Society for Scholarly Publishing discusses how print publishers are dealing with changing technology
   
• John Locke and S&S show us another kind of deal we can expect to see again
  How self-publishing author John Locke has changed publishing
   
• Comixology launches retailer digital storefronts and upgrades iOS App
  Brick-and-mortar retailers are now able to sell digital comics
   
• Google eBookstore about to go International?
  In what might be an indication of increased preparations for an international roll-out, publishers in the US are now seeing territory and prize fields for Canada, the UK and Australia when they upload titles to Google Ebooks
   
• New @author Kindle Feature lets you Pester the Author from inside the Ebook
  Nate Hoffelder from  The Digital Reader talks about a new feature for the Kindle
   
• Does Access Create New Types of Scarcity?
  Kent Anderson from the Society for Scholarly Publishing on easier access to content
   
• Why Spanish Publishing is the Next Digital Battleground
  Javier Celaya on publishers branching out to Spanish language digital publishing
   
• Over 20 Percent of Random House U.S Sales Are Digital
  In the first half of 2011, over 20% of Random House’s revenue in the US came from digital sales

• Protecting copyright: Postmodern Artwork
  A discussion of some recent UK copyright lawsuits involving artists
   
• New funding for artists to build a creative Australia
  The Australia Council for the Arts has announced a new program of funding for artists
   
• Expressions of interest open for redevelopment of the Australian Pavilion in Venice
  The Australia Council for the Arts is seeking expressions of interest for the redevelopment of the Australian Pavilion in Venice            
   
• Critical conversation: Indigenous Art Centres
  The Arts Law Centre of Australia is holding a discussion on Indigenous Arts Centres
   
• Senate Inquiry into recent ABC programming decisions
  There is Senate Inquiry into ABC’s recent decision to cut the ‘Arts Nation’ arts program 

• Orphan works and extended collective licensing top UK reform schedule
  Mary Anne Reid from Australian Copyright Council on the UK’s intellectual property reforms
   
• Update on the Federal Government’s Convergence Review
  An update on the Convergence Review, currently being conducted by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
   
• Copyright Board warns universities they can’t dodge copying tariff
  A discussion of a recent ruling from the Copyright Board of Canada
   
• Canadian Universities Clash with Access Copyright Over Licensing Fees
  Canadian universities response to an increase in fees for students’ access to copyright material
   
• University course packs going digital
  A discussion of the impact of digital course packs in Canada
   
• Man infringes copyrights due to unlawfully publishing educational books
  A court in The Netherlands recently condemned a man for infringing copyrights
   
• The UK Government on its Digital Opportunity
  The UK Government’s response to the Hargreaves Review and its recommendations for the reform of UK intellectual property law
   
• Amazon Spends Big to Fight Internet Sales Tax
  Aaron Glantz from The Bay Citizen disuses how Amazon is aiming to avoid having to collect sales tax from its consumers
   
• Internet theft is a job-killer, too
  Don Henley from USA Today on internet theft
   
• Technology & Marketing Law Blog
  Eric Goldman discuses a recent case in which Wiley claimed Kirtsaeng had infringed copyrights by importing foreign editions f Wiley textbooks into the United States
   
• Getting first sale wrong
  Kevin Smith from Duke University the impact on universities of the Wiley v Kirtsaeng case