• SFgate, Friday, November 4, 2005 12:30 PM

On the same day Google started offering book content online, Amazon.com said it will launch a new book service that allows customers to buy whole books or even portions of one book, the company said Thursday in an Associated Press report. Another new program allows customers who buy traditional texts to access them online. In stark contrast to Google Print's sticky legal situation, the services, called Amazon Pages and Amazon Upgrade, respectively, come with the blessing of trade organizations and major publishers like Random House. The difference? Amazon is letting copyright holders call the shots and will be sharing revenue with them. "We feel strongly that copyright holders get to make these decisions," said Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Books will likely cost a few cents a page for the Amazon Pages program; with Amazon Upgrade, customers will be able to look at the entire text of a purchased book online for an additional charge.

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