Microsoft worming into Google's territory

by admin October 18, 2006 at 11:03 am

Signs ‘smarter’ approach to digital books…

Microsoft has announced a deal with a digital scanning company Kirtas Technologies to produce digital books, nudging its way further into Google’s territory.

Kirtas Technologies will scan works for Microsoft’s Live Book Search web-based application, with the books starting to appear online early next year. Kirtas can scan books at a speed of around 2,400 pages per hour.

Microsoft is planning to dodge the kind of copyright issues that have impeded Google by only scanning books that are no longer under copyright.

Lotfi Belkhir, CEO and founder of Kirtas Technologies, said: “Microsoft is a lot smarter than Google and is only focusing on books in the public domain.”

Read more: silicon.com