Google has embarked on an ambitious project to scan millions of books into an online, searchable database. Many people and organizations object to the project on the grounds that it infringes on these books’ copyrights. These include the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers, both of which have filed suit to stop Google from scanning books without their copyright holders’ permission. There are also people and organizations who support Google’s efforts, including Tim O’Reilly, (by extension) O’Reilly Media, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
My take is that what Google Print is doing is legal fair use and that Google will prevail in court. Furthermore, what Google is doing is likely to increase book sales rather than decreasing them, and authors and publishers shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
![[Digg]](http://blog.kamens.us/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://blog.kamens.us/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Email]](http://blog.kamens.us/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
