Google is now facing pressure from Microsoft, Yahoo and Amazon, as the trio unites against Google's latest attempt to acquire the digital rights of millions of copyrighted books.
The three companies are creating the Open Book Alliance group, an organization made up of companies and libraries who are against Google being able to digitize such a wide variety of copyrighted works. Google previously announced its plans to digitize and release books for readers on the Internet, though the company's motives remain questionable, critics note.
Microsoft confirmed it is part of the Open Book Alliance, while Amazon, which is expected to be a member, had company officials say Amazon doesn't comment on rumors.
Several major European library groups already launched legal attacks against Google, saying the company shouldn't be allowed to catalog such a wide variety of books.
Google would be able to digitize books and set prices -- without any oversight -- as to how much libraries have to pay to access the books over the Internet. Furthermore, Google would be the only company able to digitize orphan books, which is a major antitrust concern, critics note. Orphan books are copyrighted works, but it's unclear who owns the copyright to them -- the perfect type of material for Google to digitize and charge access to.
"The agreement is not exclusive," Google spokesperson Gabriel Stricker told Reuters. "If improved by the court it will expand access to millions of books in the U.S. The agreement stands to inject more competition into the digital book space, so it's understandable why our competitors would fight hard to prevent more competition."
In 2005, Google settled a lawsuit with the Authors Guild and Association of American Publishers for $125 million, and Google's current plans to digitize libraries of information is being closely monitored by the Justice Department.
I'm not honestly sure what to make of this entire issue at the moment. I've heard arguments from both sides, but will patiently wait to see what kind of evidence the Open Books Alliance is able to provide before attempting to burn Google at the stake.
What's your take on this case?
