Authors Guild and Three Authors Sue Google For Copyright Infringement

The Authors Guild, along with three well-known authors, today sued Google for what the Guild calls "massive copyright infringement," by Google's scanning and copying of books through the Google Print Library Project.

In the Google Print Library Project, Google is scanning millions of books and make their text fully searchable on the Internet, even if authors or publishers have not first given permission for the book to be made available on-line. Google will scan books without permission, but allows publishers and authors to opt out of the program.

"This is a plain and brazen violation of copyright law," Authors Guild president Nick Taylor said in a statement. "It's not up to Google or anyone other than the authors, the rightful owners of these copyrights, to decide whether and how their works will be copied."

In the Print Library Project, Google has made agreements with four academic libraries (Stanford, Harvard, Oxford and the University of Michigan) and with the New York Public Library to scan sizable portions of their collections and make them available for searching via Google.

In addition to the Authors Guild, the plaintiffs include author and former New York Times editorial writer Herbert Mitgang. Mitgang is the author of numerous books, including "The Fiery Trial: A Life of Lincoln," published by Viking Press. Another plaintiff is Betty Miles, an award-winning author of books for children and young adults. The third plaintiff is Daniel Hoffman, former Poet Laureate of the United States, and the author of many books of poetry, translation, and literary criticismThe complaint seeks damages and an injunction to halt further infringements.