Earlier this week it was announced that Google, the Author’s Guild, and the Association of American Publishers, reached what Publisher’s Weekly called a "groundbreaking settlement."“The agreement promises to benefit readers and researchers, and enhance the ability of authors and publishers to distribute their content in digital form, by significantly expanding online access to works through Google Book Search, an ambitious effort to make millions of books searchable via the Web.” PW reports.
With Google now free from nearly three years of litigation, I anticipate an avalanche of progress in the electronic distribution of books. I think this is very exciting. Last week, Oprah declared the Amazon Kindle to be her new favorite gadget, dedicating a show to promoting the electronic reading device. Given Oprah’s influence in the world of publishing, and now the Google settlement, I think it is safe to declare this a watershed week for electronic publishing.
Click here to read the full terms of the settlement.
The O'Reily Tools of Change for Publishing blog is keeping a good list of industry reactions to this news. Read it here.
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