EU states concerned over Google library plans

EU competitiveness ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday are expected to ask the European Commission to take a closer look at Google's plans to create a digital library amid fears that European intellectual property rights are being breached

The internet search giant, which says it wants to democratise knowledge by helping everyone have instant access to a vast library of books, began its mammoth book scanning project in 2004

it effectively gives Google the power to single-handedly privatise libraries.

They argue that Google alone would then have the rights to "orphan books" where no copyright holder comes forward

orphan books make up 50 to 70 percent of books published after 192

Under this monopoly situation, say critics, the internet company would be able to charge what it likes for access to its books.

the European digital library, Europeana, launched last year

Europeana consists only of works in the public domain and is free to access