Microsoft adds copyrighted books online

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft on Friday added copyrighted books to its online library, saying it has permission to offer the works to searchers on the Internet.  

 By making deals with authors and publishing houses to include their works in the Live Search Books index Microsoft sidesteps a controversy triggered by Google's plan to offer the world's written works online. "We have paid particular attention to ensuring that we are only including those books in our index that our publishing partners have given us permission to include," Live Search program manager Betsy Aoki said in a posting on the Redmond, Washington-based technology giant's website adding that  "Our customers and partners can feel secure in our stance on copyright protection."
   
Listed among the publishers adding their books to Microsoft's virtual shelves are Cambridge University Press, McGraw-Hill Companies, Rodale and Simon and Schuster.  Searchers can read books online or follow links to websites where they can buy them. 
 
Google launched its book project in 2004 aiming to scan all literary works and post them online. The Mountain View, California-based company has stored on its searchable database classic works in the public domain, along with copyrighted books submitted with or without the publishers' permission. After outcries from publishing houses and authors, Google modified its online library to offer only summaries of copyrighted works along with information regarding where to buy or borrow the books.