Google wins book-scanning case in U.S. appeals court

Google Inc. can go ahead and create a digital library of millions of books without paying authors, a U.S. appeals court said, ruling the company’s plan is a “fair use” under copyright law.

The company has called its Google Books project “incredibly transformative,” arguing that its mission to help people find books and view excerpts online is legally permitted. The ruling promises to help Mountain View, Calif.-based Google retain its dominance in online searches.

Google already scanned more than 20 million books, beginning in 2004. Under its plan, it won’t make copies of the books available, only provide a short excerpt and a link to where people can buy the book or borrow it from a library.

The appeals panel upheld a lowercourt decision throwing out a copyright lawsuit by writers including Jim Bouton, the former New York Yankees pitcher who penned Ball Four.

The Authors Guild, a writers’ organization, argued the Google project is “quintessentially commercial in nature” and was intended to advance the company’s business interests.