"We can't presume to understand the full nature of Amazon's statements, but we believe they go to the heart of our continuing efforts to make books more available and were likely motivated by recent news about Google Books," Dan Clancy, an engineer director for Google Books, wrote in a blog post.
Bezos appeared at a Wired-sponsored conference in New York on Monday, where he was asked about Google's book plan.
"We have strong opinions that I'm not going to share," he said. "That settlement needs to be revisited and it is being revisited. It doesn't seem right to get a prize for violating a large series of copyrights."
Google argued that its project will open the Internet.
"Our vision for Google Books is to create an open platform that, among other things, allows any bookstore, library, publisher partner or individual website developer to provide their users with the ability to search across and preview books in a similar way to Amazon's Search Inside! feature," Clancy wrote.
Google's book deal will set up a registry that will allow other companies, including Amazon, to contact rightsholders to license works for new uses, Clancy said.
"In the end, we believe more access is good for everyone, Google and Amazon alike," he concluded. "But most importantly, it's good for readers who simply want to find and enjoy books, and for authors and publishers who want to create and sell works."
In October, Google, authors, and book publishers announced a $125 million settlement that will create a registry of online books, and allow U.S. consumers and institutions to purchase access to that material. Some content owners, however, have been reluctant to sign on.
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