Internet search giant Google has been found guilty of infringing French copyright law by a court in Paris. French publisher, La Martiniere, received 300,000 Euros ($ 430,000) in damages and interest. Google was also required to pay the sum of 10,000 Euros ($ 14,000) each day until it withdraws the book extracts from its database. The court hearing was instigated by the French Publishers’ Association, La Martiniere and SGDL – an author’s group – who demanded that Google be fined 15m Euros ($ 21m).

The size of the final settlement is insignificant for Google – but there may yet be repercussions for Google’s project to scan and make available online as many of the world’s books as possible. Google is currently in the process of scanning and digitising as many books as it can get its hands on. Out of copyright books are made available in their entirety. Books which are in copyright either have short samples of them made available online or have the whole book made available under a licensing scheme.

It’s not the first time Google has found itself in hot water regarding their ambitious plan to become the world’s digital librarian. A class action was raised against Google Books by the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers and a number of individual authors and publishers in 2001. Google had, they claimed, broken copyright laws by scanning books from university libraries without obtaining the required consent from the copyright holders in some cases.

At the time, Google maintained that it was working within the “fair use” principle as only brief sections of books scanned without the permission of copyright owners were made available.

In2008 an agreement was reached with Google setting up a $ 125 million fund to compensate writers whose books were made available online. However, the deal applied in North America only and there were still problems with books which, although out of copyright in America, were still under copyright law in other parts of the world.

As well as opposition from Europe, including both the French and German governments, Google also faces pressure from Microsoft, Amazon and Yahoo who support the “Open Book Alliance” being driven by the Internet Archive. The Internet Archive is a non-profit organisation which scans and digitises books. Up to now, they have scanned over half a million books, all of which are available free. Brewster Kahle, the founder of the Internet Archive, has voiced his concerns that Google seems to be attempting to monopolise the library system.

Google asserts that their project will make millions of out of print books, which would otherwise be inaccessible to most readers, available. Users of the Amazon Kindle reader can also access out of copyright free Kindle books via Amazon’s Kindle store and there are a number of other projects which make certain books available at no charge online. It does seem likely that our literary habits will change and the method of both book storage and delivery will be updated for the digital age. However, before that can happen it may be necessary to make certain that suitable legislation is in place and that author’s and other copyright holders are not disadvantaged.

Popularity: 18% [?]

When you’re searching for something thin and sleek, be it a woman, car or TV, you know that, usually, you’ll have to pay a heavy price for them. The new LG 42SL9000 breaks the mold.

Now that the ‘thin’ is in, LG has decided to announce its current launch, the fantastically thin ‘borderless’ TV, SL9000 series. Going by the reviews, these new models seem home movie lovers reaching for their wallets. With its price placed to provide some serious competition to the likes of Sony and Samsung, you might feel a little pinch in the pocket, but this full HDTV is worth the pinch.

LG 42 SL9000 has ultimately made a mark in the history of technology for the LED backlighting that is one of the unique features of the new SL9000 series. This TV has another unique feature for itself. It is what LG have termed ‘borderless’. When you first glance at it you’ll be surprised how so much technology can be crammed into such a streamlined HDTV.

This model is packed with innumerable features. Besides being an LED TV, it has a full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels with a quoted contrast ratio of 3,000,000:1. This LED TV has got all that we can ask for. It has features like Bluetooth, Real Cinema, Picture wizard and many more. The Bluetooth makes it simple to attach wireless headphones, plus it can easily accept and send data from any Bluetooth equipped multimedia devices and many such things.

This LED TV with full HD resolution gives wonderful images because it portrays every shade of every colour with a lot of intensity. It is good when you watch a dark shaded movie in it. You can actually see the colours almost rolling off the edges of the TV and the experience is wonderful.

The model being one in the HDTV range also reduces distracting reflections, enhances the cinema quality experience and assures a nice watch. This is what we can call a magical box with cutting edge technology that includes borderless set, backlighting features, 100Hz processing. You can change the picture condition with the Picture Wizard according to your desires and wants. LG’s 42 SL9000 really has grabbed buyers attention with its audio features which LG claims to be the best part.
It has four HDMI ports, component video, Scart and digital audio options and also an Ethernet port for transfer of MP3 files and other such wired data. This LED TV has got bit more to it. The 42 SL9000 TV has a 24p Real Cinema feature that assures the maximum pleasure of watching TV. It is a pleasure to watch Blu-ray films in this model. Although it does not guarantee complete blackness, it is the most that the normal people can ask for.

Compared to a number of LED TV models on the market right now, the LG 42 SL9000 is one of the televisions that is worth stumping up some cash for. Besides its stunning looks, it is also an environment friendly set. Being an LED model, it consumes 40% less energy than the other ordinary LCD sets. When switched off, the LG 42 SL9000 also qualifies as ‘eye candy’ thanks to the beautiful lines and stylish modelling. The curved sides and the glass panel in front help in getting a wonderful picture quality. With its 2.9mm thickness and intelligence sensor, LG 42 SL9000 is enough to become a craze.

Ok, we’ve rambled on enough, go and check out this LG 42LS9000 review and see what this LED TV is really made of.

Popularity: 27% [?]

Panasonic Projection Televisions include both rear and front projection models. Panasonic, a manufacturer presently entering into a business partnership with Sanyo, makes big screen projection televisions with an LCD flat panel, taking advantage of the best of flat screen technology with the high definition sight and sound of projection TV. You could get the high definition Panasonic projection television in many widths progressing from 42 to 60 inches. Panasonic markets both the liquid crystal definition (LCD) screens, as well as plasma screens. The newer Panasonic projection televisions use LCD screens.

High definition sight and sound are two perks that explain why home entertainment connoisseurs prefer Panasonic projection televisions. This company’s televisions work with LCD technology to enable them to accept a tiny image from your digital signal and magnify it to the size of the screen. Digital transmission, which is dependent upon cable, satellite or a digital conversion box, provides a stronger signal that results in a clearer picture. The older, analog signals which we depended on previously will not be used after mid 2009.

The Panasonic Projection Televisions not only deliver high definition audio and video, they even offer a built in tuner. Because of this, you could receive the many stations which are now being broadcast in digital. HDMI is state of the art improvement used in Panasonic projection televisions. HDMI is an acronym for high definition multimedia interface. Panasonic’s latest advancement enables the projection television to transmit both visual and auditory signals simultaneously. Panasonic projection televisions incorporate technology which enables you to receive either digital or analog signals.

One of the setbacks that consumers previously encountered with projection televisions was the tangle of wires that would accumulate on the rear of each component. Owners furthermore had to deal with a lag time between the sound and the picture in their previous home theater systems. Because Panasonic projection televisions employ HDMI technology, home theater owners never again have to worry about problems related to these while they enjoy their big screen TV.

There are a few suitable forms of technology that manufacturers have used when making a projection TV. Panasonic projection TV relies on digital light processing to create the video on the screen. Digital light processing, or DLP, is the state of the art technology currently employed in projection televisions. As regards front projection television, TV companies are relying on both LCD and DLP technology, and each one has proven to be quite effective when it comes to projection television technology.

Customers who purchase Panasonic projection televisions usually do so to enjoy high quality picture and sound thanks to digital transmission. Recently designed projection televisions that are being made by electronics companies like Panasonic are a less expensive way to enjoy quality large screen television pictures. Panasonic projection televisions provide a quality brand name and a range of large screen televisions with high definition quality.

Popularity: 18% [?]