The Laboratorium : GBS: I WIll Not Make a Surrender Joke in the Title

France agreed Tuesday to work with Google to digitally scan French library books but insisted it would not surrender legal control of its cultural heritage to the US Internet giant.

Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said he would approach Google to discuss their involvement while also pressing on with France’s own digitisation efforts.

He approved an experts’ report published Tuesday which proposed a “partnership” with Google and its online library Google Books.

UPDATE January 23, 2010: See calimaq’s analysis (in French).

January 13, 2010 at 1:26 AM

Blake Reid

The joke kind of makes itself, doesn’t it?

January 13, 2010 at 12:52 PM

Nick Harkaway

Getting all paraleptical, are we? :)

It occurred to me today that the French intellectual apparatus might be geared towards compromise where English language teaching is about conflict. I’m not sure how true it is, but follow me for a second; when I learned essay technique in the UK, it was all about constructing a paper to bolster my own position and anticipate and crush any objections. Then I studied the French structure, which is about the process of synthesising positions.

Anyway, since you mentioned it, I thought I’d throw that out there.

January 15, 2010 at 6:47 PM

Gillian Spraggs

Google will find that when the French talk about ‘respect for authors’ rights’ they mean it.

January 20, 2010 at 11:24 AM

Karen Coyle

I have read the French report and this is NOT what it says! See my blog post:

http://kcoyle.blogspot.com/2010/01/pardon-my-french.html