Microsoft’s MSN search engine is lagging well behind category leaders Yahoo and Google. Microsoft has a long history of trying to copy what other search companies are doing to add to its own service.

Such was the case when Microsoft announced that it would begin offering a book and academic journal search service that would scan full text of books and publications in the public domain to a service MSN book search site. Microsoft opted to scan only books in the public domain, no doubt in part due the many law suits that a similar service from Google that scanned copyright protected works generated.

Microsoft announced that it is now stopping its book scanning and search operations.

Satya Nadella, senior vice president of Microsoft search and advertising wrote in a blog post, “Digitizing books and archiving academic journals no longer fits with the company's plan for its search operation.” Nadella said that Microsoft would focus on verticals with high commercial intent.

Microsoft came into the book scanning in 2005 when it contributed material to the Open Content Alliance, which interestingly is an industry group founded in part by Yahoo. Yahoo and Microsoft recently made headlines when the two companies had drawn out talks for Microsoft to acquire Yahoo ultimately leading to Microsoft walking away when Yahoo asked for more money.

Microsoft said at the time that it could get to where it needed to be in the search market alone, but buying Yahoo would get it there much faster. Some see Microsoft cutting its book search business as an indication of it getting into fighting shape to better take on Google and Yahoo in search.