Adotas » Google, Baidu Clash with Respective Online Library Strategies

Adotas » Google, Baidu Clash with Respective Online Library Strategies: "Google, Baidu Clash with Respective Online Library Strategies
Written on March 8th 2007 Author by Editor Feed XML Feed

Google and Chinese rival Baidu are aggressively competing for the latter’s Internet market, the world’s second largest with 137 million users, by each building out their own online library services–the goal being to eventually monetize and create rev share between the media companies and the content providers.
Peking University Library, which is one of Asia’s largest academic libraries, has partnered with Baidu for the release of its online book service, according to Reuters sources.
“Baidu has already secured good relations with many local universities and libraries,” states the publishing source. “For example, Baidu has signed a strategic partnership with Peking University Library.”
Meanwhile, Google is working with about 20 local publishing houses in efforts to launch a Chinese version of its Book Search service, said spokeswoman Jin Cui.
Florian Pihs, Beijing-based analyst at Analysys International, said, “There are two main questions — monetization and copyright.”
In terms of copyright, the mountain hasn’t been an easy one to climb, at least for Google, which is being sued by authors’ and publishers’ groups who argue that web pages may tempt readers to stop buying printed works. The groups are attempting to block scanning of copyrighted library books with the legal action.
Tags: Baidu, China and Google "