Thursday

28th Mar 2024

Google opens digital library ahead of EU governments

The Internet search engine Google has launched its books scan engine in eight European countries.

The move comes ahead of steps by the European commission and EU member states who also plan to set up their own European digital library.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Google will on Tuesday (18 October) officially present the opening of its controversial digital library service in eight European countries at the yearly Frankfurt Book Fair, a major German cultural event.

Last Sunday, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Spain already witnessed the launch of "Google Print" .

"Google Print" enables users to look for scanned books from libraries on the internet.

Google's move comes after European Commissioner Viviane Reding in September announced Brussels’ own project for digitisation and preservation of Europe's cultural heritage – generally seen as a competitor to Google Print.

The commission initiative followed strong pressure from France, where Google Print after its earlier launch in the US and the UK had sparked fear for Anglo-American cultural domination.

French \"counter attack\"

The director of France’s national library Jean-Noel Jeanneney in January called for a European "counter attack" against US firm Google, observing a "crushing domination of America in the definition of the idea that future generations will have of the world".

French president Chirac subsequently called upon the European Union to launch a competing "European digital library".

A letter to the commission, drawn up by Mr Chirac in April and signed by the German, Italian, Hungarian, Spanish and Polish leaders, urged Brussels to take the initiative in the issue.

Copyright problems

However, French concerns are unlikely to materialise as Google itself has already backed down from its initial ambition to disclose complete libraries to the public.

Google came under fire in the US and UK as it was scanning not only library books upon consent by publishers, but also works which are under copyright.

Last August, the scanning had to be stopped after a group representing more than 8000 authors filed a lawsuit against Google, arguing that the digitising of library books represents a severe violation of copyright law.

For European users of Google Print, this means that they can find only few full books.

Most search result show just a few pages or merely a summary plus purchase information.

France launches Francophone digital library

The French national library BNF has launched a prototype version of its contribution to a European digital library aimed as one of the European alternatives to US digitalisations of books and documents.

Opinion

EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania

Among the largest sources of financing for energy transition of central and eastern European countries, the €60bn Modernisation Fund remains far from the public eye. And perhaps that's one reason it is often used for financing fossil gas projects.

'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told

Italian central banker Piero Cipollone in his first monetary policy speech since joining the ECB's board in November, said that the bank should be ready to "swiftly dial back our restrictive monetary policy stance."

Opinion

EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania

Among the largest sources of financing for energy transition of central and eastern European countries, the €60bn Modernisation Fund remains far from the public eye. And perhaps that's one reason it is often used for financing fossil gas projects.

Latest News

  1. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  2. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  3. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  4. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  5. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  6. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult
  7. EU unveils plan to create a European cross-border degree
  8. How migrants risk becoming drug addicts along Balkan route

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us