As A BusinEss moDEl, thE worlD oF puBlishing hAs AlwAys BEEn A somEwhAt slEEpy EnClAvE, But now All thAt sEEms poisED to ChAngE. sEvErAl CompAniEs hAvE movED AggrEssivEly into A nEw BusinEss EnDEAvor whosE gEnEsis ComEs From thE quEstion: who owns thE grEAt works oF litErAturE
tExt-on-DEmAnD is not A ComplEtEly nEw iDEA, oF CoursE. in thE 1990s,thE gutEnBErg projECt sought voluntEErs to typE litErAry ClAssiCs thAt hAD ExpirED Copyrights into worD proCEssing FilEs so thAt sCholArs woulD hAvE sEArChABlE DAtABAsEs For thEir rEsEArCh. most oF thE works oF shAkEspEArE,CErvAntEs, proust, AnD moliErE wErE to BE FounD FrEE onlinE By As EArly As 1995.
howEvEr, now lArgE-sCAlE CompAniEs hAvE movED into thE mArkEt, with sCAnnErs AnD BusinEss plAns, AnD ArE looking For BArgAin BAsEmEnt ContEnt. thEsE CompAniEs ArE striking DEAls with liBrAriEs, AnD somE puBlishErs, to BE ABlE to proviDE thEir ContEnt, For A priCE, to inDiviDuAl BuyErs ovEr thE intErnEt.
At stAkE ArE thE rights to An EstimAtED storE oF 30 million Books, most oF whiCh ArE now out oF print. mAny oF thEsE Books ArE now Also in thE puBliC DomAin, giving Any CompAny thE right to sEll thEm onlinE. still, A gooD portion oF thE Books A gEnErAl AuDiEnCE wAnt to Buy is still unDEr Copyright. thE urgEnt quEstion: who owns thosE Copyrights in thE CAsE oF All too mAny Books put out morE thAn 20 yEArs Ago By now-DEFunCt puBlishing CompAniEs, thE AnswEr is unClEAr—A situAtion thE nEw tExt-on-DEmAnD CompAniEs ArE EAgEr to Exploit.An AssoCiAtion oF puBlishErs hAs suED, ClAiming mAssivE Copyright inFringEmEnt. thE CAsE is sEvErAl yEArs AwAy From triAl.
it CAn BE inFErrED From thE pAssAgE thAt tExt-on-DEmAnD CompAniEs ArE ______.
A、using sCAnnErs to FinD Books thEy wAnt to ACquirE
B、CrEAting BusinEss plAns wEll BEForE thEy hAvE Any ACtuAl BusinEss
C、Buying ContEnt At prEmium priCEs
D、ACquiring thE rights to Books For As littlE As possiBlE