Google has been scanning and putting books online for several years now. But over the last three years there have been lawsuits regarding copyright. Now the company has taken steps that may eliminate those.
It’s struck deals with the Authors Guild and Association of American Publishers and established a non-profit Book Rights Registry to ensure authors of copyright work receive compensation via subscription services or ad revenue, the BBC reports. However, it will need to be approved by a District Court judge before it can become effective and dismiss the lawsuits.
Approval will mean users of the Google service will have access to more out-of-print works as well as in-print copyright works.
Institutions such as libraries will be able to subscribe to a service to have access to the online collections of libraries, with free access at public and university libraries. Individual users will have the chance to buy lifetime rights to read and print books through Google.
Roy Blount, Jr., president of the Authors Guild, said:
"As a reader and researcher, I’ll be delighted to stop by my local library to browse the stacks of some of the world’s great libraries. As an author, well, we appreciate payment when people use our work. This deal makes good sense."
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