1923–1963: Google Book Search Targeting More Books for Public Domain?

Barbara Quint Wonders Is Google Book Search Targeting More Books for Public Domain? And there’s no doubt that expanding the public domain collection in Google Book Search beyond 1923 is a company goal. According to a Google spokesperson’s message, “These records will enable us to put more books into full view on Google Book Search, furthering us toward our goal to make books accessible to users while still respecting copyright. We’re committed to clarifying the public domain status of books and making as many books available online to users as possible.” The complexity of copyright issues, according to Orwant, can lead to some “nightmare scenarios.”