BERLIN,  (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel  yesterday criticised the efforts of Google Inc to build a  massive digital library, saying the Internet should not be  exempt from copyright laws.

In her weekly video podcast, before Tuesday’s opening of the  Frankfurt Book Fair, Merkel appealed for more international  cooperation on copyright protection and said her government  opposed Google’s drive to scan libraries full of books.

“The German government has a clear position: copyrights have  to be protected in the Internet,” Merkel said, adding there are  “considerable dangers” for copyright protection in the Internet.
“That’s why we reject the scanning in of books without any  copyright protection — like Google is doing. The government  places a lot of weight on this position on copyrights to protect  writers in Germany.”

Google has already digitised 10 million books.

Merkel, who will open the world’s largest book fair in  Germany’s financial capital, said there was a need to discuss  the issue in greater detail in international institutions.

She did not, however, offer any concrete solutions.