Google Books, trade agreements and swine flu

We look at international media comment on Google’s project to digitize the world’s books, gender inequality in the City, as well as the swine flu vaccine.

A digitized world

Google’s project to digitize the world’s books was sharply criticized at a European Commission hearing on 7 September. Critics say a proposed US settlement allowing Google to digitize millions of US and foreign books in US libraries is a threat to international copyright law. The Economist, however, says the EU should approve the agreement,  thus providing wider access to useful information.

... Anti-trust concerns could surface over time in this brave new digital world. But the theoretical dangers these pose should be weighed against the very real and substantial benefits that a comprehensive digital library will create. That is why the court should approve the Google agreement, while at the same time giving stern warning to its signatories that they will be subject to intense regulatory scrutiny for the foreseeable future. ...

Women at work

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has found that the average man working in finance in the UK earns more than one and a half times as much as women in the same position. This has to change, writes the Financial Times.

... There are some structural reasons that explain a part of this separation. British women are less likely than are men to study quantitative subjects at university, so some highly paid specialist career paths within the City are staffed entirely by men. But, more importantly, the preference for men in high-earning areas of banking is driven by informal employment practices and the desire to recruit people who enjoy “a cultural fit” with the company. Given the long-standing predominance of men within the sector, this has tended to skew hiring practices against women. ...

Swine flu protection

Should you get the swine flu vaccine when the time comes? Public concerns about the vaccine are understandable, writes the Washington Post.

... Concern about the forthcoming vaccine is understandable and centers on the experience during the 1976-77 flu season. That's when a swine flu outbreak at Fort Dix, N.J., led the federal government to expedite vaccine production. Some 40 million people were vaccinated, including President Gerald R. Ford, by the time Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological disorder, was identified as a side effect. It is estimated that more than 500 people developed GBS and 25 people died after receiving the vaccine. ...