[

The Media Equation - NYTimes.com](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/22/business/media/22carr.html?partner=rss&emc=rss):

Among other adventures, Google’s motives were called into question after it scanned in millions of books without permission, prompting the Authors Guild and publishers to file a class-action suit. The proposed $125 million settlement will lead to a book registry financed by Google and a huge online archive of mostly obscure books, searched and served up by Google.

So is that a big win for a culture that increasingly reads on screen — or a land grab of America’s most precious intellectual property?