Google pauses indexing of copyrighted books from libraries

Google pauses indexing of copyrighted books from libraries

Google Inc. has finally responded to the outcry from publishers and writers and have temporality suspended their indexing of the books containing copyrighted material available from the Google Inc to make them searchable on the Internet. They would now wait for the authors and publishers to decide what books they do not want to make available for search on the Internet and inform Google about it. The pause would stay for the next three months.

Adam Smith, the product manager of Google Print said in a statement available on the Google Print website: “Any and all copyright holders … can tell us which books they’d prefer that we not scan if we find them in a library.” For the time being they are moving ahead with their plans to scan and index books available in the public domain that are not covered by copyright.

The company has collaborated with Oxford University, Harvard University, the New York Public Library, Stanford University, and the University of Michigan for their Google Print program, which started last year. The company has also not released the figures on how many books are currently searchable on the Google Print website.

Adam Smith added: “What we are doing here is legal under the principles of fair use.” He also said that the company was constantly in talks with the organizations of publishers, authors and other interested parties to strike a balance between the interests of publishers and readers.