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Google could soon make millions of out-of-print books available online, after the internet giant signed a deal with publishing groups and authors.Thousands of British authors could benefit from the controversial agreement.
They will receive £35 for each title they allow to go online along with a share of the proceeds from internet sales via Google Books or other websites.
But critics described the move as 'burglary' and urged 'extreme caution about ceding rights' [read more at dailymail.co.uk]
The controversy over Google's settlement with groups representing book authors and publishers rages on, almost a year after it was first reached. After Google was sued in 2005 for digitizing books without explicit permission, it reached a proposed settlement in October 2008 that would give it unique rights to scan out-of-print yet copyright-protected books, exciting some librarians but raising the ire of many within the publishing and literary communities.
Nevertheless, Google has made painstaking attempts to engage with its enemies in the publishing world. Dan Clancy, engineering director for Google Books, has traveled the country meeting with opponents and supporters, patiently explaining Google's position and preaching the value of a publicly available archive of digital books [read more at news.cnet.com]
