@Adam Re: I simply do not understand copyright anymore.
I think you need to take a step back and remember the history of this...
That book you saw at Amazon. Was it a new copy or a Used Copy and out of print?
And even if the author is alive and well, that doesn't mean that Google was able to find him and to ask him for his permission. Or if the author is dead, the estate who owns the copyright. Or the publisher could have gone out of business and they couldn't provide the records. ...
Lots of reasons why Google, the world's largest search engine who knows everyone on the web couldn't reasonably find the author... (note the sarcasm)
The point is that Google is stealing the works and then setting the payments they would pay the author if he didn't opt-out.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
