An Authors Guild lawyer has urged a New York federal appeals court to force Google to reward authors for including their books in the world's largest digital library.
Paul Smith argued before a three-judge panel of the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals. He said there was no evidence that Google's project helps authors sell books.
A lawyer for the California-based company countered that the library exists so readers can find books.
The Authors Guild had appealed a judge's ruling tossing its lawsuit contending that the internet giant is violating copyright laws.
The author's group wants Google to pay $US750 ($A811) for each of the more than 20 million copyright books it has already copied.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
The appeals court did not immediately rule.
