US still unhappy with Google book scheme

Plan to digitise books into online library needs more safeguards, says Department of Justice

Google wants to put books online

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has said it is still not satisfied with a deal that would allow search giant Google to build a vast digital library.

In 2004 Google began a scheme to digitise the texts of out-of-print books and make them accessible through its services online.

The scheme was put on hold a year later when the Authors Guild of America and Association of American Publishers sued for copyright infringement.

In 2008 Google agreed to pay £77m to create a Book Rights Registry, where authors and publishers could register works and receive compensation for books scanned in to the library.

But the Department of Justice objected to the plan last year, calling for limitations on open-ended provisions for future licensing, additional protections for unknown rights holders and a mechanism by which Google’s competitors can gain comparable access.

Google amended its proposals accordingly but the DoJ is still objecting to the amended plan. It said in a statement yesterday: "Class certification, copyright and antitrust issues remain."

The DoJ also criticised the agreement for requiring authors to opt out of having their books included in the deal, rather than opting in.

Online retailer Amazon has also objected, saying the plan could lead to a monopoly.

A further hearing on the settlement has been scheduled for 18 February.

Google said in a statement last night: "We look forward to Judge Chin's review of the statement of interest from the Department and the comments from the many supporters who have filed submissions with the court in the past months."