Google Ends Legal Dispute With French Authors Over Book Scans

Google Inc. (GOOG), owner of the world’s largest search engine, ended a legal dispute with a French authors’ group over the U.S. company’s scanning of books.

Google will financially support the SGDL Society of Authors’ development of a database of book authors and right- owners to settle legal proceedings over the scanning of copyright-protected books for its digital library, the company and the SGDL said in a joint statement today. Financial details weren’t disclosed.

Google is working to improve its relationship with French industry groups and regulators after disputes over privacy and access to copyrighted content. The Mountain View, California- based company has also settled legal disputes with the Hachette Livre unit of Lagardere SCA (MMB), the country’s biggest publisher, and La Martiniere Groupe that allowed it scan out-of-print works that are still copyrighted.

“At a time when the electronic book market is growing, it is essential that French-language content be easily accessible to as many people as possible,” said Philippe Colombet, Google Books’ strategic partner development manager in France.

The SGDL, which represents 6,000 French and French-speaking authors, said the agreement will reaffirm authors’ position and help them protect their rights online, SGDL President Jean- Claude Bologne said in the joint statement.

A Paris court ruled in 2009 that Google’s book-scanning project violated some publishers’ and authors’ copyrights. Google has argued that the display of snippets of text is fair use under copyright law.