Everyone knows it’s not polite to fight in the library. But Google’s move to put the world’s texts online has led to just that, stirring up a big brawl as rivals like Microsoft and Yahoo scramble to set up their own competing online databases of books.  

That Microsoft, Yahoo, and even Amazon are all seeking to copy Google Print suggests the search engine is onto something big. The problem, of course, is that ever since the Mountain View, California-based company launched its most ambitious project to date last December, it has attracted not just these imitators but fierce critics.

The reason? Publishers have argued that the plan to scan library books from OxfordUniversity, HarvardUniversity, StanfordUniversity, and the University of Michigan could trample on copyright laws. Google finally flung open the doors to its virtual library earlier this month, but only after scaling back its efforts. So far, it has only included books in the library that are out of copyright (see Google Opens Virtual Library).

When it comes to digital rights management, Google Print has opened a Pandora’s box, forcing publishers and Internet companies alike to confront key questions regarding content on the web: What material is covered by copyright? How should authors and publishers be paid for their work if it appears online? Is reading a book online for free different from browsing a text at a bookstore?

Copyright lawyers and other experts say the brouhaha over Google Print clearly shows that existing laws need to be re-examined and perhaps redefined. It seems inevitable that more content will migrate online. But Internet companies like Google will have to find a way to make authors and publishers comfortable with sharing control and with new forms of payment for online libraries to thrive.

The problem is the current copyright law was written decades ago, when the distribution channels were very different, notes Gary Stein, an analyst with JupiterResearch. Given how drastically different the Internet is from earlier distribution channels, the laws will have to change. As the rebel when it comes to digital libraries, Google may have the most to gain.

“If there’s a shift in copyright law, Google will [get to] capitalize on it more than Microsoft and Yahoo,” said Mr. Stein.

Make Money off Books

Any shift will also mean that Google will be able to use the material it’s digitizing to make money. The company has said it will not run ads through the Google Print program. But that’s likely a reaction to widespread accusations that the company was seeking to exploit publishers and authors.

If it does decide to display ads in its virtual library, digitized books will add to its existing inventory, say analysts.

But Google Print is more than a potential source of ad revenue, Mr. Stein said. It’s yet another way for the company to build on its ever-expanding brand.

“It’s such a big project that it helps establish their space in the world,” he said. “It’s more of a branding thing, further demonstrating that they’re interested in organizing the world’s information by going after information that’s difficult to get a hold of.”

The ambitious project has triggered criticism from the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers. Both have filed lawsuits charging Google with violating copyrights when scanning copyright-protected books (see Publishers Sue Google).

But Google Print has its share of supporters. One of them is the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit digital rights advocacy group. Spokesperson Rebecca Jeschke says the search giant isn’t violating any copyright laws with Google Print.

“It’s a fair use of text,” she said. “What it’s creating is a digital card catalog. It’s giving you a short excerpt, so that you know if it’s a book you need to borrow from the library or buy.”

She added that it would probably benefit authors and publishers because it would help expose a lot of obscure works.

Critics on All Fronts

Meanwhile, critics aren’t just attacking Google on copyrights. The company has sparked rebuke from Europe, which has accused the U.S. company of seeking to increase American cultural domination.

Google Print got into trouble with the European Union almost as soon as it was launched. The first hint of controversy came when French historian Jean-Noel Jeanneney, who heads up France’s national library, spoke out against it in January.

He said that Google would probably choose to add those books to its virtual library that favor Anglo-Saxon ideas and the English language. His words made European governments sit up and pay attention to Google’s next move (see Google Print Expands in Europe).

Since then, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, and Hungary have pushed to create a European digital library to counter the impact of Google Print. National libraries across the Continent have already pledged their support to the project.

Google’s Got Company

Other critics say Google has charged ahead without consideration for content creators. Yahoo, which is also getting into the digital library game, has maintained a respectful and cautious approach when it comes to using outside content. Contrast that with Google. Analysts said the company first grabs content and then worries about the consequences.  

Yahoo and Microsoft’s more docile approach is why the two didn’t draw much criticism in October when they joined the Open Content Alliance, a group of tech companies and universities working to build an archive of multilingual digitized content.

The software giant and the Internet media company made sure to highlight the fact they’re working with Creative Commons, a nonprofit group that licenses digital content for personal use and repurposing. That’s so content providers can determine what content—and how much—is available to distribute online (see Google Print Faces Rival and Microsoft Joins Book-Scan Club).

Soon after that alliance announcement, Microsoft in early November dished out $2.5 million for the right to scan 25 million pages, or 100,000 books, from the British Library. It plans to make the digitized versions of these pages available to readers through MSN search.

And now e-tailer Amazon has jumped into the fray, too. It decided to sell content piece by piece through its online store. Amazon said earlier this week it plans to sell access to a page or section of a book through its new service, Amazon Pages (see Amazon, Microsoft Bet on Books).Google Selling Print Ads

As Google scans books and increases its content inventory, it is also experimenting with selling ads in print. Much as it does online, it is now running ads for other companies in print publications. The company has confirmed that it ran such ads in the September issues of PC Magazine and Maximum PC. It plans to continue with the venture.

“Advertisers and publishers have reacted favorably to our initial test, and we are exploring various ways to continue experimenting with ads in print media,” the company said in a statement.

It could almost be perceived as an effort to kiss and make up with the world of print. Advertisers are moving to online advertising from print advertising. Online advertising is expected to hit $19 billion by 2010, according to JupiterResearch. But if Google can do for print a fraction of what it did for online ads, that forecast could change.