Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Google Starts New Chapter For 'Book Search'

Internet behemoth Google announced an agreement on Tuesday with a number of authors and publishers and with its library partners, starting a new chapter in its Google Book Search project, which began almost four years ago. The deal will give readers digital access to millions of in-copyright books; create a new market for authors and publishers to sell their works; and further efforts of Google's library partners to preserve and maintain their collections while making books more accessible to students, readers and academic researchers.

The agreement also resolves lawsuits that were brought against Google in 2005 by a group of authors and publishers, along with the Authors Guild and Association of American Publishers. While Google, the Authors Guild and the AAP have disagreed on copyright law, they have always agreed about the importance of creating new ways for users to find books and for authors and publishers to get paid for their works, Google's top lawyer David Drummond said in a blog post.

AAP President Pat Schroeder issued a statement saying her group is "proud to have been a part of the process that has produced this historic, landmark agreement." "This settlement, the product of many years’ hard work, is a great 21st century solution," she said. To date, Google has worked with libraries worldwide to make more than 7 million books searchable "and we're just getting started," Drummond said. "Ultimately we'll provide access to many times that number, and if approved, this agreement will unlock access to millions of these texts." Read more here.

Copyright Alliance Executive Director Patrick Ross commented on the deal in a blog post, calling it "a good day for authors." "It is refreshing to see we are finally where we should have been several years ago, developing a marketplace solution that allows copyright owners to grant access in return for compensation and allows those seeking access to written works to obtain it," he wrote.