To bring balance to the force of copyright... (Score 2, Interesting)

This is the best thing to happen to copyright in a long time.

It will be an intersting opportunity for the evolution of copyright law. Right now the copyright concept hinges on the antiquated notion that the right to make a copy is what matters.

Google is making full text electronic searches of scanned books, and has clearly made a copy. The scale of this copying clearly falls outside of "fair use".

On the other hand, the intended use of the copies they hold would be of great benefit to authors and society at large, but antiquated laws restrict the right to make copies to the owner of the copyright.

Hopefully the money will be here to get an opinion from the courts that clarifies these antiquated notions.

The courts are the friends of the people in this case. The courts are the only ones that can bring balance to the force of copyright since Lawmakers have already been bought by the vested interests of copyright exploiters.

The best thing that could happen to bring the balance of copyright back toward benefiting the public good in the spirit it was granted in the first place, is going to court oposing someone with $84,000,000,000 valuation.