Search Engine Optimisation Web Log (BLOG)
Editor: Matt Paines

| This News Blog is dedicated to bringing news, information and innovations targeting the Search Engine Optimisation industry.

Digital library suffers another setback

Search engine giant Google has suffered another setback in its plans to establish the world's biggest online library.

A Paris court has found the company guilty of copyright infringement in a ruling, which could have wider implications for its plans to digitise the world's books.

Google must now pay 300,000 euros (GBP266,000) in damages and interest to French publisher La Martiniere, one of many publishers to take Google to court for digitising its books without explicit permission.

The search engine was also ordered to pay 10,000 euros a day until it removes extracts of the books from its database.

A spokesman for Google said French readers now face the threat of losing access to a significant body of knowledge and falling behind the rest of internet users.

Meanwhile Serge Eyrolles, head of the French publisher's union Syndicat National de l'Edition, said the verdict shows Google that they are not the kings of the world and they can't do whatever they want.

Google wants to scan millions of books to make them available online but critics fear it is creating a monopoly over information.

Recently it agreed to a settlement with US authors and publishers but is renegotiating after the US Justice Department concluded that the deal violates anti-trust law.

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