Google announced today that it has taken over control of the French National Library. It managed to do so buy taking over rights belonging to the French Bourbon family.
Google plans to scan all the books in the library and make them digitally available through Google Books.
“Yes, there will be a small fee,†Sergey Brin of Google says, “but visitors from the .fr domain name will get access to the books at a reduced price. â€
Continue reading
The majority of business and information technology (IT) executives in the United States anticipate increases in IT expenditures over the next three years, according to results of an annual study released by Accenture.
The study, which queried 300 general business managers and IT executives from US-based companies with average revenues of $8 billion, found that six out of ten executives (60 percent) expect their organizations to increase their IT expenditures over the next three years. Only 13 percent of respondents expect their organizations to reduce IT spending. The average increase in spending during the next year is expected to be 5.5 percent.
Continue reading
Google may get a break from a federal judge in a lawsuit claiming the company’s 3D Earth-mapping program violates patent rights.
In a preliminary order released last week, U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock in Massachusetts appeared to side with Google’s interpretations of the patent in question, a stance that could bode well for the search giant as the case moves on.
Continue reading