Digitizing the print world’s always a huge headache. It looks like Google’s coming to realize this as they attempt to make the print world searchable.

One of the problems I see with complaints on Google is that they tend to gloss over a very pertinent point. While they bitch and moan about the current publications being “ripped off” they fail to mention the real reason they’re so up in arms about Google’s print service.

In a word, it will make printed works which are no longer clearly copyrighted and works that no one lays claim to digital. There will never be another dime made on these work and it may well fall out of human knowledge without this.

But someone, somewhere has to own the copyright by US law. And what the publishers are arguing is that because of that, this work should never see the light of day unless the copyright holders are tracked down and payed.. not that that’s technically possible.