Google Book Search settlement gives Google a virtual monopoly over literature

I would rather have book search results available as fair use, instead of through legal settlement. That would allow other companies to compete in this area.<p>With this deal, Google's dominance in search engine market is even more secure than it has been. We don't want yet another monopoly, even a purportedly benevolent one.<p>To compensate Google for the cost of scanning all these books, perhaps the publishers and author's guild should force Google to license the scanned version to other companies at a 'fair' price, which they also need to agree upon.

The thing that strikes me about all this craziness over Google Book Search is that Google did an extraordinary thing: they made significant progress toward scanning every book ever printed. With great effort (and risk) comes great reward. It would be a huge cost, but I don't see why another company doesn't try to do the same thing.<p>The monopoly doesn't exist because Google is trying to force other people out; it exists because no other company is willing to take the expense/risk to do it themselves.

<i>Google, in acceding to the Authors Guild's requests, have attained a legal near-monopoly on searching and distributing the majority of books ever published. </i><p>Incorrect grammar. Should read: "Google, in acceding to the Authors Guild's requests, has attained a legal near-monopoly on searching and distributing the majority of books ever published."<p>Company names should always be referred to in the singular object form, as in "it", not "they" or "them".<p>Mr. Doctorow, is Boing Boing hiring any editors? ;)