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Google & the World Brain

The Audacious Attempt to Control Human Knowledge

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Price: $350.00

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Please note: This film does not come with Public Performance Rights. If you wish to a screening outside of a face-to-face classroom setting, please contact us.

In 1937, the science fiction writer H. G. Wells imagined a "World Brain" containing all of the world's knowledge, accessible to all people, that would be "so compact in its material form and so gigantic in its scope and possible influence" that it could transcend even nation states and governments. Seventy years later, Google set about realizing Wells's vision, launching a massive project to scan millions of books from university library collections. But when it was discovered that over half of the first ten million books Google scanned were still in copyright, authors from around the world joined together to wage a fierce legal battle against the Internet giant, culminating in a dramatic courtroom showdown in 2011. In gripping detail, Google & the World Brain tells the fascinating story of this complicated struggle over intellectual property and access to human knowledge, offering crucial insights into broader debates surrounding data-mining and privacy, downloading and copyright, fair use, freedom and surveillance.

DVD includes the feature length documentary, as well as an abridged version shortened for use in the classroom.

Duration: 93 min (full) & 54 min (abridged)
ISBN: 1-932869-82-4
Date Produced: 2013
Subtitles: English

Filmmaker Info
A Polar Star Films & BLTV Production
Director: Ben Lewis
Executive Producer: Carles Brugueras
Producer: Bettina Walter
Editor: Simon Barker
Director of Photography: Frank-Peter Lehmann
Music: Lucas Ariel Vallejos
UK Producer: Viva Van Loock
Production Executive: Madeleine Sheahan

Film Festivals
Best Documentary: Rincon International Film Festival 2013
Official Selection: Sundance, World Documentary Competition 2013
Official Selection: 56th San Francisco International Film Festival
Official Selection: RiverRun IFF, Documentary Features Competition 2013
Official Selection: 37th Cleveland FF, Standing Up Competition
Official Selection: Documenta Madrid, International competition 2013
Official Selection: Docs Barcelona 2013
In Competition: Sheffield Doc/Fest 2013
CNEX Documentary Film Festival 2013
Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival (Festival do Rio) 2013
Fresh Film Fest - Prague, Czech Republic 2013
Mediteranean Film Festival, Bosnia 2013
Avvantura Festival 2013, Croacia 2013
Real Film Festival 2013, Australia 2013
Transatlantyk International Film and Music Festival 2013, Poland
Lemesos International Documentary Festival 2013, Cyprus
The Galway Film Fleadh, Ireland
Design Film Festival 2013, Singapore
Reykjavik Shorts and Docs 2013

DOXA Documentary Film Festival 2013

Transcript
Transcript (abridged)

7-Day Streaming Rental ($50):

"This beautifully shot and carefully conceived documentary problematizes the role the Google Books project has played in our society. Whether you are a supporter or a critic, Ben Lewis' timely and highly engaging film will provoke you to think more deeply about the future of the digital world. Highly recommended!"
- Peter K. Yu | Kern Family Chair in Intellectual Property Law at Drake University

"This report on Google's audacious project to digitize, and control, all of society's recorded knowledge is authoritative, balanced -- and absolutely chilling."
- Paul Goldstein | Lillick Professor of Law at Stanford University

"This short documentary draws attention in a compelling way to the long term global risks and benefits of the Google Books Project."
- Ann Bartow | Professor of Law at Pace Law School

"If you don't trust Google, watch this movie."
- Jonathan Aronson | Professor in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California

Press Reviews
"Endlessly fascinating and engaging. It's probably the best documentary you'll see all year."
- Lucas McNelly | The Huffington Post

"Four Stars. A fair, interesting, and eye-opening true story. Anyone interested in the future, Google, books, Artificial Intelligence, where science fiction collides with reality, or a culturally relevant story well told, should see this documentary gem."
- Scott Cleland | Precursor Blog

"A masterful doucmentary."
- Julie Fischer | Indiewire

"A whip-smart examination."
- Kenneth Turan | Critics Notebook, Los Angeles Times

"Offers convincing reasons to pay more attention to Google's utopian schemes."
- John Defore | The Hollywood Reporter

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Google & the World Brain

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