In The News
| Pages | 24-24 |
AUGUST 2011
24
In line with its commitment to improve access to its
collections, the British Library recently announced
a partnership with Google to digitize 250,000 out-
of-copyright books from its collections. Under the
deal the works selected by the British Library will be
digitized by Google. This content will be available for
full text search, download and reading and will be
delivered free through Google Books (http://books.
google.co.uk) and the British Library’s website (www.
bl.uk). Google will bear the costs of digitization.
The project will digitize “a huge range of printed
books, pamphlets and periodicals dated 1700 to
1870,” according to a British Library press release. It will
include material in a range of European languages,
and “will focus on books that are not freely available
in digital form online.” Once digitized, these unique
historical items may be accessed “from anywhere in
the world” and will be available to “copy, share and
manipulate” for non-commercial purposes.
Dame Lynne Brindly, Chief Executive of the British
Library said, “our aim is to provide perpetual access to
this historical material, and we hope that our collec-
tions, coupled with Google’s know-how, will enable
us to achieve this [aim].”
Peter Barron, Director of External Relations at Google
said, “What’s powerful about the technology available
to us today isn’t just its ability to preserve history and
culture for posterity, but also its ability to bring it to life
in new ways. The public domain material is an impor-
tant part of the world’s heritage, and we’re proud to
be working with the British Library to open it up to
millions of people in the U.K. and abroad.”
IN THE NEWS
In a deal that underlines the economic value of patents, a consor-
tium of six rms (Apple, Ericsson, EMC, Microsoft, Research in Motion
(RIM) and Sony) has won a bid to purchase the remaining patents
and patent applications of Canada’s beleaguered telecommunica-
tions company, Nortel Networks. The company led for bankruptcy
protection in 2009 and has been selling o its assets ever since.
The sale, worth US$4.5 billion, includes an extensive portfolio of
around 6,000 patents and patent applications which touch “nearly
every aspect of telecommunications and additional markets…
including Internet search and social networking”, according to a
company press release.
“The size and dollar value of this transaction is unprecedented, as
was the signicant interest in the portfolio among major companies
around the world,” noted George Riedel, Nortel’s Chief Strategy
Ocer and President of Business Units.
The deal is expected to be nalized in autumn 2011, following
approval by the U.S. and Canadian bankruptcy courts.
British Library and Google join ranks
to digitize 250,000 titles
Canadian telecoms company Nortel
sells its patent portfolio
Integrated trans-Tasman patent
system promises signicant savings
The governments of Australia and New Zealand have agreed to implement a plan to put into place a single
patent application and examination process for both countries. The plan, announced in early July by Australia’s
Innovation Minister, Senator Kim Carr and New Zealand’s Commerce Minister, Simon Power, promises inventors
a “faster, cheaper and more streamlined trans-Tasman process.”
“By moving to align the application processes we will remove duplication and reduce costs. We believe the single
pathway to patent protection across Australia and New Zealand will in turn encourage inventors and businesses,”
Senator Carr said.
This move promises to generate signicant cost savings – up to $5,000 per invention. “By removing potential
barriers we’re trying to create a seamless trans-Tasman business environment and making it easier to conduct
business in both countries,” Minister Power noted. “This level of patent cooperation is a world rst and will give
Australia and New Zealand innovators greater condence when seeking IP protection overseas,” he added.
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