Comment Re:I don't get it. (Score 1) 324
From my understanding, there's two issues at stake:
1. Google's library of books
2. Google's registry of orphaned books.
So Google's scanning in all works, and in cases where it's not an orphaned book (but allowed in their databases by the author), the author will get a cut.
Google's registry of orphaned books, however, is solely owned by Google. They've done the effort of tracking down the owner in this case, and having found none they're maintaining their reasoning for considering the book orphaned. They've presumably performed the legwork to make this determination. As it's their resource, they have no responsibility to provide this to the world.
So, some other company can come through and scan all the books they like and make them available online as well. In cases where those books are not orphans, they'll need deals with the author/publisher. In other cases, they'll have to do their own legwork to track down the history of the book, why should Google have to give up this IP?
Of course, I can license info from the registry, I just can't get info on orphaned books. However, if the registry doesn't turn up information, it may be a safe assumption that it is an orphaned book. You'd still want to verify, but that would take significantly less effort than tracking down every single book.
Everything's a monopoly until someone else does it. And Google isn't blocking anyone, however they are protecting some IP (their proof that books are orphans).