How Many More Books Has Google Scanned Today?

More than 25 groups representing authors, publishers, state Attorneys General, foreign governments, consumer advocates and technology companies have convened in New York City this morning to speak in opposition to the most recent Google Books Settlement at a Fairness Hearing in front of Judge Denny Chin of the United States District Court, Southern District of New York.

The broad array of objectors will cover a wide swath of legal arguments including Constitutional, copyright, class and anti-trust issues.

The OBA believes that Google has achieved a de facto exclusive license that will provide the company with an enormous advantage over its search competitors that was not achieved through the operation of normal market forces, but through Google’s disregard for copyright holders’ rights and the attempt to manipulate the class action process.

This disregard of copyright holders’ rights has led to the scanning of more than 12 million books and growing.   With books scanned by cameras capable of scanning more than 1,000 pages per hour, the Google library is growing exponentially.   Conservative estimates predict that Google will actually scan more than 5,000 books during today’s hearing.

An approved Google Books Settlement would essentially reward Google for flouting U.S. copyright laws for more than three years, while those who respected the law would be severely punished.