Google set to launch its disputed book service

November 03, 2005|Associated Press

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Google Inc.'s Internet-leading search engine today will begin serving up the entire contents of books and government documents that aren't entangled in a copyright battle over how much material can be scanned and indexed from five major libraries.

The list of Google's so-called public domain works -- volumes no longer protected by copyright -- includes Henry James novels, Civil War histories, congressional acts, and biographies of wealthy New Yorkers.

Google said the material, available at www.print.google.com, represents the first large batch of public domain books and documents to be indexed in its search engine since the Mountain View, Calif.-based company unveiled its ambitious library-scanning project last year.

The program is designed to make more library material available through a few clicks of a computer mouse and attract more people to click on the profitable ads that Google has on its website.

During the next several years, Google wants to create digital versions of millions of books stacked in the New York Public Library and four university libraries -- Stanford, Harvard, Michigan, and Oxford.

Google declined to disclose how many books have been scanned from the libraries so far. The project is expected to require years to complete.

But a bitter copyright dispute is threatening to crimp Google's plans. The Authors Guild and five major publishers are suing to prevent Google from scanning copyright material in the libraries without permission. Because it plans to show only snippets from copyright books, Google argues its scanning project constitutes ''fair use" of the material.