Google and the World Brain

In 2004 Google set out to scan every book in the world. Agreements were made with libraries and millions of volumes were scanned. Then authors and publishers sued: the scanning was being done without permission from the copyright holders. The documentary watches the fight from both sides: on one, the claim of building a library for humanity; on the other, the fear of a single company owning every text. Ben Lewis directed the film, which takes its name from H. G. Wells's book of essays of the same title. Among those who speak are Lawrence Lessig, Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle, and executives from Google. The telling looks at Google coldly and does not hide it; against that, it also carries the company's defence directly. The settlement reached in the case was rejected by the judge in 2011, and the film was made after that outcome and screened at Sundance in 2013.