IT and society: EU to challenge Google in digital library

French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand wants members of the European Union to challenge Google's digital library plan by creating a similar joint project on the digitization of books.

EU ministers agreed in Brussels on Friday to create a committee of "wise men" to carve out a plan, Mitterrand said in an interview with French newspaper Journal du Dimanche due to be published on Saturday.

Mitterrand argues that the digitization of books should not be left to private companies, and governments had to come up with appropriate policies.

Google's plan to set up a digital library has received praises and criticisms from various quarters of society. The plan has been applauded for bringing broad access to books but has also been criticized on antitrust, copyright and privacy grounds.

"It's not up to this or that private group to decide policy on an issue as important as the digitization of our global heritage. I'm not going to leave this decision up to simple laissez-faire," he added.

 Recently, French publishers have accused Google of exploiting their country's literary heritage and in September asked a Paris court to fine the world search leader if it continues to digitize their books.