Nicolas Sarkozy fights Google over classic books; Telegraph, 12/14/09

Henry Samuel, Telegraph; Nicolas Sarkozy fights Google over classic books:

Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed to keep Google's hands off France's classic books and national treasures by spending £680 million making them available on the internet.

"The French president made the announcement amid a row between the internet giant and publishers, who claim Google has breached their copyright by scanning books for its online library Google Books.

Mr Sarkozy said the sum would go towards the "digitisation of the content of our museums, our libraries and our cinematographic heritage".

He added: "There is no question of letting this heritage go."

The package was part of his government's "grand loan" – a £31 billion spending spree he detailed on Monday aimed at boosting France's economic growth and competitiveness.

The pledge followed Mr Sarkozy's warning last week that he would not allow Google to carry out a massive literary land grab on French and other European literature.

"We are not going to be stripped of our heritage for the benefit of a big company, no matter how friendly, big or American it is," he said.

"We are not going to be deprived of what generations and generations have produced in the French language just because we weren't capable of funding our own digitisation project."

Jean-Noël Jeanneney, a former chief of the national library recently warned recently that the French Revolution risked being given an "Anglo-Saxon" slant if Google prevailed – one in which "valiant British aristocrats triumphed over bloodthirsty Jacobins and the guillotine blotted out the rights of man."

Google, based in California, recently unveiled plans recently to scan books and make them digitally searchable online. It argues almost all the books digitised are in the public domain and that it will pay copyright on any still in private hands.

The Paris publishing group, La Martinière, took Google to court after it discovered the firm had scanned and archived books on which La Martinière holds the copyright. A ruling is expected on Friday. Seuil has also sued Google for copyright breach.

Marissa Maya, Google's number three last week last week denied stealing French heritage. "I think our service is very poorly understood," she said.

"The advantage of this work is precisely to conserve literature and allow people to access it. Right now we're simply the most advanced company in this area." In his speech at the Elysée yesterday, Mr Sarkozy said that public groups like Google could be part of the venture but the state would be very much in charge.

The money is expected to go to boosting Gallica, France's own book-scanning project, which is linked to Europeana, the EU's digital library."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/6811462/Sarkozy-fights-Google-over-classic-books.html