Google Book Search

Google Book Settlement Gets Preliminary Approval; Hearing in 2010

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2009 - 11:02am.

New York - The judge overseeing the settlement agreement between Google (NASD: GOOG) and authors and publishers over the direction of its massive book-scanning project has pushed a hearing on a revised settlement back to Feb. 18, while at the same time granted preliminary approval to the new deal. "The preliminary approval order sends a positive initial message; this agreement promises to benefit readers and researchers, and enhance the ability of authors and publishers to distribute their content in digital form," Google said in a statement.

Google, Authors Submit Revised Book Settlement to Court

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 16, 2009 - 11:49am.

New York - A revised settlement agreement was submitted on Friday, in the closely-watched case of Google (NASD: GOOG) and the authors who sued the company over the details of its plans to scan the world's books into a digital index. The revised settlement addresses many key issues raised by the U.S. Justice Dept., copyright and consumer advocates, although some concerns remain. Under the agreement, the scanning of out-of-print books will now be limited to works published in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia.

Judge Postpones Hearing on Google Book Settlement

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 28, 2009 - 6:45am.

New York - The judge overseeing the contentious settlement between Google (NASD: GOOG) and the Authors Guild on Friday delayed a planned Oct. 7 hearing indefinitely, as the two sides confer with the Justice Department to alter the deal to allay a range of concerns. "The current settlement agreement raises significant issues, as demonstrated not only by the number of objections, but also by the fact that the objectors include countries, states, nonprofit organizations and prominent authors and law professors," U.S. District Court Judge Denny Chin wrote in his ruling.

Authors Ask for Google Book Settlement Hearing Delay

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 23, 2009 - 8:28am.

New York - The Authors Guild has petitioned the federal court handling its settlement with Google (NASD: GOOG) over the company's ambitious book-scanning project to postpone a hearing on the settlement scheduled for Oct. 7, saying the two parties wish to work with the U.S. Department of Justice to overcome its concerns with the deal. On Friday, the Justice Dept. lodged its official opposition to the deal in its current form, and made suggestions for specific changes that could help bring approval of the settlement.

Justice Dept. Opposes Google Book Settlement in Current Form

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 21, 2009 - 7:22am.

Washington - The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday urged the court overseeing Google's (NASD: GOOG) settlement with authors to reject the deal in its current form, "due to concerns of the United States regarding class action, copyright and antitrust law." The Justice Dept. said that "the partied should be encouraged to continue their productive discussions to address those concerns."

European Lobby, U.S. State AGs Oppose Google Book Deal

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 18, 2009 - 9:53am.

Los Angeles - A Microsoft-sponsored (NASD: MSFT) lobby group in Europe has asked the European Commission to investigate antitrust concerns related to Google's (NASD: GOOG) proposed $125 million settlement with authors empowering it to create a digital books index, Reuters reported. ICOMP, whose members also include PR firm Burson-Marsteller, and the U.K's Premier League, Foundem and Double Jump Media, said in a statement that the settlement "is unacceptable in its present form as it violates the rights of copyright holders and authors and would lead to a de facto monopoly" in areas like search advertising.

Google in Talks with Justice Dept. on Book Settlement Terms

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 17, 2009 - 10:13am.

Washington - Google (NASD: GOOG) is in talks with the U.S. Justice Department and the plaintiffs in the settlement governing its plans to create a digital book index, on potential changes to the settlement that could ease the Justice Department's concerns about the deal, Bloomberg reported, citing two anonymous sources. The judge overseeing the settlement yesterday gave Google until Oct. 2 to respond to the 400-odd briefs submitted in opposition to the settlement deal.

EMI Opts Out of Google Book Settlement, Challenges Terms

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 16, 2009 - 8:47am.

London - EMI Music Publishing has fully opted out of Google's (NASD: GOOG) proposed settlement with authors over its book-scanning project, and further argued that it should not have to provide Google with a list of the over one million copyrights it owns and does not wish Google to use, MediaBistro reports. Authors are free to opt out of having their works included in Google's massive digital book index.

Amazon Balks at Google's Digital Book Reseller Offer

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 11, 2009 - 7:58am.

Washington - In a bid to appease those worried its digital book archive would give the company a monopoly, Google (NASD: GOOG) said at a Congressional hearing this week that it would allow other booksellers to sell books covered under its proposed settlement on out-of-print but in-copyright works.

France, Privacy Advocates Voice Google Book Deal Concerns

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 8, 2009 - 8:57am.

Mountain View, Calif. - Responding to concerns voiced by Germany, France and the European Commission, Google (NASD: GOOG) announced that it will not include European out-of-print works that are still in copyright in its massive digital book index without authors' permissions. A French Cultural Ministry official told Reuters that France will join Germany in asking a U.S. court to block Google's proposed $125 million settlement with authors over its book-scanning project.

At FTC's Urging, Google Posts Privacy Policy for Books

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 4, 2009 - 5:58am.

Washington - Responding to an inquiry from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Google (NASD: GOOG) has agreed to develop and publish a privacy policy for its Google Book Search product, which will inform consumers how personal data may be used by the company. "The Google Books initiative could provide a wealth of benefits for consumers, yet it also raises serious privacy challenges because of the vast amount of user information that could be collected," FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz said in a statement.

Amazon Assails Google Book Deal; Google Trots Out Backers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 3, 2009 - 8:13am.

Mountain View, Calif. - Google (NASD: GOOG) on Thursday held a conference call with reporters during which a group of professors and civil rights leaders voiced support for the company's book-scanning project and settlement deal with authors, The Wall Street Journal reported. They argued that the digital book archive will help "bridge the digital divide" for students. Participants on the call included Wade Henderson, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights; Chris Danielson, of the National Federation for the Blind; and Lateef Mtima, director of the Institute of Intellectual Property & Social Justice at Howard University.

Germany Opposes Google Book Settlement with Authors

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 2, 2009 - 8:21am.

Washington - The German government has filed a brief opposing Google's (NASD: GOOG) landmark settlement with authors over works appearing in its massive book-scanning project, saying the deal would violation foreign copyright and privacy protection laws, Reuters reports.

Sony to Support Google in Settlement with Authors

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 31, 2009 - 7:32am.

New York - Sony (NYSE: SNE) intends to file a brief supporting Google's (NASD: GOOG) position in its landmark settlement with authors, over the use of copyrighted works in its massive book-scanning project, Wired.com reported.

Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo to Oppose Google Book Settlement

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 21, 2009 - 10:03am.

San Francisco - Google's (NASD: GOOG) proposed settlement with authors that would create a massive online database of many of the world's books will see new opposition from the likes of Internet heavyweights Amazon (NASD: AMZN), Microsoft (NASD: MSFT) and Yahoo (NASD: YHOO), The New York Times reported. The companies plan to join the Open Book Alliance, a group that includes the Internet Archive, which is expected to ask the court to block the settlement on the grounds it is anticompetitive.

Academic Authors Seek Changes to Google Book Settlement

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 17, 2009 - 2:58pm.

New York - A group of academic authors and professors within the University of California network believes that Google's (NASD: GOOG) settlement with authors over the use of works in its book-scanning project does not take their interests into consideration, The New York Times' Bits blog reported.

ACLU, EFF Urge Stronger Privacy at Google Book Search

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 24, 2009 - 6:08am.

San Francisco - A number of digital civil liberties advocates, including the ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), this week sent a letter to Google's (NASD: GOOG) chief executive, urging the company to implement stringent privacy standards for its Google Book Search service. The organizations, which also included the Samuelson Clinic at the University of California, note that currently, Google tracks every book a user searches for and browses, as well as which titles are read and even what a user writes in the digital margins.

Google to Begin Selling E-Books; Will Let Publishers Set Price

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 1, 2009 - 10:43am.

New York - Google (NASD: GOOG) plans to begin selling e-books through its search engine, The New York Times reported on Sunday, in a move that will give current e-book giant Amazon.com (NASD: AMZN) competition in the nascent industry. The company has been in discussions with publishers on the plan, and is said to be open to allowing publishers to set their own prices; at Amazon.com's e-book store, all titles sell for $9.99, and Amazon takes 70% of profits.

Justice Dept. to Probe Google Book Settlement With Authors

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 29, 2009 - 7:30am.

Washington - The U.S. Justice Department has launched an antitrust probe into the settlement being negotiated between Google (NASD: GOOG) and authors over the company's book-scanning service, The New York Times reported, citing two people briefed on the matter. Justice Department lawyers have reportedly been in conversations in recent weeks with groups that oppose the deal, such as the Internet Archive and Consumer Watchdog.

Sony eBook Store Adds 500,000 Free Titles From Google

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 19, 2009 - 8:11am.

San Diego - Sony (NYSE: SNE) announced on Thursday that it has partnered with Google (NASD: GOOG) to offer over 500,000 public domain books from Google for free on its eBook Store. The books will be viewable on Sony Reader Digital Book devices, which retail for between $300 and $350.

Google Book Settlement Gets Preliminary Approval; Hearing in 2010

Google, Authors Submit Revised Book Settlement to Court

Judge Postpones Hearing on Google Book Settlement

Authors Ask for Google Book Settlement Hearing Delay

Justice Dept. Opposes Google Book Settlement in Current Form

European Lobby, U.S. State AGs Oppose Google Book Deal

Google in Talks with Justice Dept. on Book Settlement Terms

EMI Opts Out of Google Book Settlement, Challenges Terms

Amazon Balks at Google's Digital Book Reseller Offer

France, Privacy Advocates Voice Google Book Deal Concerns

At FTC's Urging, Google Posts Privacy Policy for Books

Amazon Assails Google Book Deal; Google Trots Out Backers

Germany Opposes Google Book Settlement with Authors

Sony to Support Google in Settlement with Authors

Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo to Oppose Google Book Settlement

Academic Authors Seek Changes to Google Book Settlement

ACLU, EFF Urge Stronger Privacy at Google Book Search

Google to Begin Selling E-Books; Will Let Publishers Set Price

Justice Dept. to Probe Google Book Settlement With Authors

Sony eBook Store Adds 500,000 Free Titles From Google

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