Google Draws Fire, Creates Book Page

Google's growing importance in the book world was highlighted by two separate events last week, both of which are likely to have long-range ramifications. The first was the public airing of publishers' concerns stemming from the Google Print for Library program. Then last week, the company announced that it has created a book-specific search page that will make it much easier to find books.

The fight over Google Print for Libraries, a six-month-old program that archives and makes searchable (but often not viewable) books from four university libraries plus the New York Public Library, pits the movement toward digitization against those who are fearful of piracy. The controversy flared up last week when AAUP head Peter Givler sent a letter to Google detailing his concerns. Givler said his opposition was not only ideological but legal. Google's entire program, he said, "is built on massive copyright infringement."

"We'd be happy to work with Google on a basis that makes sense," said one senior publishing executive. "But does this make sense? I'm not sure it does." The existence of a book in any format outside a house's control, the executive said, raises fears of both piracy and cannibalized sales. "Once there's a digital copy, it's forever." (For more on publisher concerns, see Soapbox, p. 70).

In addition to the AAUP's actions, John Wiley is said to have asked to opt out of the program, while Random House, the country's largest trade publisher, acknowledged that it had raised "serious objections" with Google executives.

Google maintains that the program can be applied selectively. "Google respects the rights of copyright holders, and Google Print incorporates several ways to view books to protect copyright," a spokesperson said in a statement, noting that if Google did not have explicit permission for the material, then just a few sentences would be viewable.

But the struggle is likely to heat up before it cools down. Google's effort is only the first of what are sure to be other digitization efforts that promise to unlock for readers scores of titles they wouldn't necessarily buy. As technology makes book searching easier and more desirable, a clash, many believe, is unavoidable.

Indeed, Givler said that if Google continues to be unresponsive to the AAUP's concerns, he wouldn't rule out legal action. Still, despite significant philosophical differences, many are hoping answers lie in compromise, such as greater rights management or revenue sharing. "We want to find a way to work out this issue," Givler said.

The potential that Google holds for boosting book sales was highlighted by the creation of a separate page that contains only book content. Under Google's original Google Print model, book content integrated with all search results, but by going to print.google.com, users can search only book material. A search on the name Alexander Hamilton, for example, brings up not only books about Hamilton (and only books that Google has scanned into its database) but also shows books where Hamilton's name is included (15,800 Web pages in all).

Similar to Google Print, the book-only page allows users to click on the "Buy the Book" link to see a list of online booksellers that carry the book.