7thriv

Is it too soon to declare a Democratic War on Knowledge? Probe of Google Book Deal Heats Up

The Justice Department has sent formal demands to Google Inc. and publishers for information about a deal that would allow the search giant to make millions of books available online, publishing company executives and people briefed on the matter said Tuesday.

The civil investigative demands, or CIDs, are the strongest sign yet that the Justice Department may seek to block or force a renegotiation of the settlement, which was struck last year and has not yet been approved in court. It's also an indication of the more intense antitrust scrutiny promised by the Obama administration.

Yeah, why would you want to have the contents of the world's libraries accessible through your computer? If there's one thing I hope the people at Google (and any other tech firm) learn, it's this: once your company becomes a success, you might as well re-register as a Republican. Democrats (1) hate successful businesses (2) don't understand innovation and (3) think they are protecting the "little guy" - or businesses that are losing in the marketplace; it's hard to remember which is which. Either way, a Democratic administration always means expensive and disruptive anti-trust actions.

I've said this before, but, if this was a government initiative, there would be enough self-congratulatory speeches to heat every home in the Northeast this winter. But, since it's a (ugh) publicly traded company doing this, it's suspect.