Google has reached an agreement with an association of US publishers regarding the possibility of scanning books and making them publicly accessible through Google Books.
A story that began at least seven years ago, concerning the right to put scanned books online, has reached a conclusion.
The object of contention was the alleged massive copyright infringement that could have compromised publishers’ ability to reissue works.
Let’s take a step back to better frame the issue: Google laid the groundwork several years ago for the creation of a universal library open for public access, which is now partly realized through Google Books.
However, the broader project, named “Google Books Library Project“, immediately met with opposition from publishers. Although Google had begun by scanning only rare books or those out of print and no longer produced, publishers objected that the operation would hinder any initiatives to release new editions without fair compensation.
A thorny issue that ended up in court, where Google’s defense focused on the argument that the universal library project serves a public utility, preventing a vast collection of texts from being lost and inaccessible.
It has now been learned that an agreement has been reached between Google and the Association of American Publishers (AAP), although the financial terms – if any – have not been disclosed.
What is certain is that Google has committed to providing digital copies of the approximately 15 million texts already scanned; furthermore, publishers will decide which books will be available for public consultation and which will not.
However, the matter is not entirely concluded yet, as another front remains open: the one with the Authors Guild.
In this case, it is not yet clear what measures will be taken, but the fact that a shared agreement has been reached with publishers suggests that a common path will likely be found soon in this instance as well.
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