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Opponents of the controversial legal settlement that would allow Google Inc. to publish millions of books online stepped onward with a counterproposal on Tuesday: a digital public library operated ~ the agency of a nonprofit public guardian.

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In a letter to members of Congress, the Open Book Alliance suggests a indifferent system that provides greater access to books, respects the rights of authors and publishers, and doesn’t transfer undue power to any single company. The coalition, whose members contain Google rivals Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com and Yahoo Inc., called forward the Mountain View Internet giant to halt its plan.

The tender comes as the clock is ticking down on the Google Books legitimate deal, which has drawn objections from library groups, academics, competitors and the Department of Justice above the top privacy issues, the fate of unclaimed works and the amount of control handed to a private corporation. The final hearing in federal court is steady Feb. 18.

Peter Brantley, co-founder of the Open Book Alliance, before-mentioned the group wanted to ensure that digital books are available in forms other than the single Google is pushing forward.

“Let’s say no, let’s take a step back and put to hire’s all work together in the way that copyright law should be amended,” he said.

Google has consistently said that its plan doesn’t inhibit other libraries of digital works, and that authors and publishers who slip on’t want to participate have the right to opt out.

“The Google Books installation is injecting more competition into the digital books space, so it’s understandable why our competitors might fight hard to prevent it,” a Google spokesperson said.

Groups representing students, minorities and the disabled have expressed support because the settlement, saying it will bring unparalleled information access to communities many times cut off from it.

Brantley’s letter to members of Congress argues that single a “neutral, civic, not-for-profit organization,” such as the Library of Congress, be able to deliver the full public benefit of a digital library and make secure maximum participation.

In a similar approach, France’s national library administers a database of French works, called Gallica. The home’s culture minister announced plans this month to use it in the same proportion that the basis for a larger online library.

Google reached a proposed establishment with writers, the Authors Guild and members of the Association of American Publishers in October 2008, two years after the parties filed suit against the company claiming copyright violation for publishing samples of scanned books online. Under the deal, Google elect pay $125 million and establish a Books Rights Registry to be the same and compensate rights holders. Recent amendments narrowed the class to authors and publishers of works in the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, among other changes.

Brantley declined to say whether any legislators have offered to bring before the public a bill on this matter. Congress has attempted unsuccessfully to implements some of these issues in the past.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, co-authored a score that would have addressed the thorny topic of unclaimed or orphaned works, limit it died in committee.

“We are here today because somebody in the personal sector decided to seek forgiveness rather than permission,” she said in hint to Google Books at a September hearing. “That, in a plan of conduct, is what this settlement is. It’s a resolution of the rights that Congress could not furnish.”

No Android phones for China

Google Inc. has postponed the disengage in China of two wireless phones that would use the fellowship’s software in a reaction against efforts to hack its mental networks.

The phones, which use Google’s Android software, were manufactured ~ dint of. Motorola Inc. and Samsung. They were to be sold by China Unicom starting today.

Last week, Google reported it might pull out of China after a series of cyber attacks that the company said resulted in the theft of intellectual property.

Source: MarketWatch

E-conveyance for ~ed matter James Temple at jtemple@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on serving-boy D – 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle