Publishers Finally Back Down In Fight Over 'Google Library Project'

woman browsing library
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Google has reached a settlement with a group of American publishers over its plans to create a massive web-based library, ending seven years of court wrangling.

The deal means that the scheme, the Google Library Project, can move ahead, collecting and scanning books online and making them searchable to web users.

The project had begun with Google Books working with seven major universities to digitise their libraries. Once the books are scanned, excerpts can be read in search results. But several major publishers went to the courts, complaining of copyright infringement.

The publishers were worried that the Google Library Project would undermine their business models, with users choosing to read large samples of the books online rather than to buy them.

The deal announced today, the terms of which have not been fully disclosed, means that publishers will be able to choose to make their books available to Google or to have them removed from the project. Google Books will now make 20% of any book browsable and also allow users to purchase the whole book.

Tom Allen, the president of the Association of American Publishers, which represented the aggrieved companies, said in a statement: "We are pleased that this settlement addresses the issues that led to the litigation. It shows that digital services can provide innovative means to discover content while still respecting the rights of copyright holders."

The publishers involved in the case were McGraw Hill, John Wiley & Sons, Simon and Schuster and Pearson Education Inc and Penguin Group (USA), which are both part of Pearson.

Google also welcomed the deal. The web giant's chief legal officer, David Drummond, said: "By putting this litigation with the publishers behind us, we can stay focused on our core mission and work to increase the number of books available to educate, excite and entertain our users."

The deal, however, does not affect another current law suit, around similar issues, which was brought by the Authors Guild.

This article originally appeared on guardian.co.uk

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Read the original article on The Guardian. Copyright 2012. Follow The Guardian on Twitter.
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