Internet, Google Books | featured news

Google has reached a deal with a publishing group to allow the scanning and publishing of books online - ending a six-year legal battle. A court ruled in 2009 that the search company was in breach of copyright infringement after it digitised a number of French books.

Google struck a deal with the Italian government to digitize up to one million books held in the National Libraries in Rome and Florence.

A Paris court ruled Friday that Google Inc. is breaking French law with its policy of digitizing books, handing the U.S. Internet giant a euro10,000-($14,300)-a-day fine until it rids its search engine of the literary extracts....

While a U.S. settlement looks likely to be reached, it may rouse critics at home and abroad.

Government lawyers urged a federal court judge late Friday to reject a proposed settlement which would allow Google to digitally scan massive libraries of books and place them online.