Google has started paying authors of out-of-print books under a $125 million copyright settlement agreement reached in October concerning Google Book Search.

Authors and publishers around the world are receiving detailed information about their legal rights and options by email and postal mail. Class members can visit this Web site for complete information about the settlement.

Under the settlement agreement, copyright holders will receive $60 per scanned books and 63 percent of ad revenue generated by Google.

A summary notice is being published in 218 countries and 72 languages, which compliments the mailed notice program.

Sergey Brin

The settlement, if court approved, will allow Google to scan in-copyright books and inserts in the Untied States, maintain an electronic database of books, and make various uses of the books as specified in the settlement

For out-of-print books and, if permitted by rightsholders of in-print books, Google will be able to sell access to individual books and institutional subscriptions to the database, place ads on any page dedicated to a book, and make other commercial uses of books.

"While this agreement is a real win-win for all of us, the real victors are all the readers," said Sergey Brin, co-founder & president of technology at Google.

"The tremendous wealth of knowledge that lies within the books of the world will now be at their fingertips."

Copyright holders have until January 5, 2010 to make a claim.