That's the whole heart of the dispute: they argued that doing so was fair use, while the Authors Guild and the publishers that sued Google argued that it was copyright violation. (accrispin.blogspot.ru)
The confrontation that followed lasted just a few minutes, but it was long enough to spark a class - action lawsuit, a criminal investigation spanning at least three states and a major regulatory crackdown in the U.S.. Now, for the first time, Canadian officials have confirmed they too are investigating the issues at the heart of the dispute. (canadianbusiness.com)
But the battle of political personalities at the heart of the dispute undermined public confidence in governing institutions. (inc.com)