Google modifies books settlement

After the earlier suspension of the decission on the Google books settlement the company has now come back with an ammended proposal that restricts the scope of the poject. Google is looking to scan large quantities of books and make them available to the public. Earlier this month the joint photo associatons were denied entering the agreement as they were too late with the request.

The latest changes are explained in this FAQ. Changes limit the countries involved to books registered with the US copyright office or the UK, Australia and Canada. There will also be a book registry board that will actively search for copyright holders and hold revenue for them.

Google announced the changes on their blog: “The changes we’ve made in our amended agreement address many of the concerns we’ve heard (particularly in limiting its international scope), while at the same time preserving the core benefits of the original agreement: opening access to millions of books while providing rightsholders with ways to sell and control their work online.”

“We firmly believe in the promise of the agreement, as do our many supporters. As Sergey Brin recently wrote in a recent op-ed, “even if our cultural heritage stays intact in the world’s foremost libraries, it is effectively lost if no one can access it easily.”

“We’re disappointed that we won’t be able to provide access to as many books from as many countries through the settlement as a result of our modifications, but we look forward to continuing to work with rightsholders from around the world to fulfill our longstanding mission of increasing access to all the world’s books. “via Google Public Policy Blog: Modifications to the Google Books Settlement.

More detail on specific changes can also be found here:

Google Books settlement sets geographic, business limits | Digital Media – CNET News
news.cnet.com | November 16, 2009
Quote: Readers will be able to preview and purchase books, institutions can buy subscriptions, and libraries will have free access at designated terminals. The revised settlement limits Google’s future business models from the works to individual subscriptions, print-on-demand, and digital downloads. The company will need to get approval from the registry’s board and provide notice to all claiming copyright holders before implementing any of the business models.