France Launches Google-style Plan To Scan And Sell Out-of-Print Books

Here’s more to supplement the earlier post about new French legislation from Paid Content:

A year after the collapse of the Google  Books Settlement in a New York court, the government of France has passed a law to digitize and sell half a million “indispensable” works from the 20th century.

The goal of the project is to preserve and commercialize French books from before 2001 that are no longer for sale in print or online. France’s Bibliothèque nationale is compiling a list of books that will be included in the project and eventually sold online.

According to Swiss newspaper Le Temps, the French government will hold a 40 percent stake in a new royalty collection enterprise while publishers will control the rest. The project, which is receiving an initial subsidy of 30 million euros, guarantees that at least 50 percent of royalties will go to publishers and authors.

Like the Google Book Settlement, the French plan is “opt-out” which means that authors will be included unless they object within six months.

. . . .

The French scheme also has a snobbish element to it as only “indispensable’ works will be included in the collection. As Le Temps notes, fans of bodice rippers and the like may have to wait to see their favorite titles online.

Link to the rest at Paid Content

Ebooks, International