Google CEO Larry Page. Getty Images/Justin Sullivan Google has been embroiled in a court case with the Authors Guild for the past eight years as it argued the legality of its huge book-scanning project, Google Books.

The decision was formally made that Google Books can continue its efforts to digitally capture around 20 million books without legal repercussions, reports GigaOM.

Judge Denny Chin made the ruling based on the fact that Google's digitization of the source material is "highly transformative" and won't interfere with the original market.

Chin also called Google Books an "essential research tool" that provides public benefits.

The Twittersphere is ecstatic, as you might expect.