When European libraries allow Google to digitise their collections, they typically grant Google a 15 year period during which Google is the sole body allowed to commercially exploit the scans. These agreements typically cover works already in the public domain, long after copyright has expired. Reducing this exclusive period to 7 years could encourage rivals and would promote digital access to Europe's cultural wealth, say independent experts in a report submitted this week to the European Commission in Brussels.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/business/global/11google.html?_r=1
