Google’s mass-copying of copyrighted works to build a digital library of more than 20 million books is shielded by the fair use doctrine, Judge Denny Chin (See Profile) ruled yesterday.
Granting summary judgment to the search engine giant and its Google Books initiative, Chin said the copying and presentation of “snippets” of works that appear when an Internet user enters search terms does not violate the Copyright Act because the use is “transformative” and provides “significant public benefits.”
