The Google Books Library Project is an effort by Google to create an online catalog of millions of books, many of which are copyrighted, by scanning them into a digital format that can be easily indexed and searched by people who could not otherwise find those books because many are out of print. The project created some controversy among publishers and authors, who feared their copyrighted works would be accessed without any compensation to those holding the rights.
Background
In late 2004, Google announced a new effort to partner with some of the largest university libraries in the world and create digital versions of millions of books. The company partnered with the university libraries of Harvard, Michigan and Stanford to scan copyright-protected books, while also working with the New York Public Library and Oxford University to scan "public domain" works that were no longer protected by copyright. In an August 2005 Associated Press article published by Wired Magazine, Google had positioned the project as an "altruistic endeavor" to allow people to access some of the rarest books in the collections of the largest libraries.
Controversy
Many publishers and authors opposed Google's book scanning project because they feared making digital versions of books available on the Internet would lead to unauthorized duplication and distribution. They also were fearful that Google would be able to generate advertising revenue through the index of books, without paying royalty fees to the publishers holding copyright. In addition, librarians were also concerned that Google would have too much control over materials that are a key part of libraries' collections.
Settlement
The Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers filed lawsuits against Google claiming that the book scanning project did not respect copyright owners' rights. In October 2008, the parties agreed to a settlement, which allowed Google to continue make the out-of-print books available online, both for reading and purchasing. Under the agreement, Google's book service is allowed to show up to 20 percent of a book's text at no charge to the service. The digital version of the entire book could be made available online for a fee. In addition, educational institutions and libraries could purchase subscriptions to access books. Google receives 37 percent of the revenue from the online book service, while 63 percent goes to authors and publishers.
Technology
According to an April 2009 article by National Public Radio, Google developed a scanning technology that allowed a digital scan of a book to be more accurate and cause less damage to the book. The technology involved an infrared camera that could discern the three-dimensional shape and angle of the book's pages when laid flat on the scanner. This replaced older solutions that used a glass plate to flatten each page of the book, or removing the book's binding.
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