Internet search services provider Google, Inc.’s book-scanning project has been criticised by a group of authors, publishers and the governments of France and Germany, it has been reported. According to them, the plan would give Google too much control over out-of-print books.
The complaints were raised at a EU hearing in Brussels that is reviewing how a $125 million settlement between Google and US publishers will affect the EU. A group that represents Google rivals including Yahoo! Inc. and Microsoft Corp. has alleged that the deal would create a cartel involving thousands of publishers.
Google is currently working with Oxford University’s library and six others in Europe to scan out-of-print books that are no longer copyright protected. The project, which began in 2004 with books from Harvard University, the New York Public Library and other sources, has digitised over 10 million books. According to Google, the agreement will ‘bring back to life’ millions of books that are moldering on library shelves and will create a new market for out-of-print books.
Germany has called the electronic copying of books without the consent of copyright owners as unacceptable and has asked European regulators to look into how the settlement affects EU rights. German publishers are concerned that their books, which are still commercially available in Europe, would be considered “out of print” if they are not sold in the US. While Germany submitted its objections on August 31, France recently presented objections over the deal to the US court ahead of the October 7 hearing.
The US settlement, which is yet to be approved by a judge, covers orphan works - titles for which no one can be identified to give permission for digital use.
In 2005, Google had been sued by authors and publishers who said their copyrights would be violated by scanning books and making them available online. In October 2008, the company agreed to settle two copyright lawsuits with authors and publishers over its book-scanning service, which could make it the primary source for millions of out-of- print books.
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