Foes try again to block Google deal over books
Google Inc.’s bid to secure the digital rights to millions of books remains under attack from rivals and other critics trying to block a revised legal settlement that would unlock a vast electronic library.
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The opposition fired its latest salvo Thursday, the deadline for filing objections with U.S. District Judge Denny Chin in New York.
The critics contend that Google’s $125 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit with U.S. publishers and authors would thwart competition and drive up prices in the budding electronic book market.
Google argues that the agreement will benefit society by making it easier to see and potentially buy hard-to-find books that have been available in print in only a handful of libraries.
The Mountain View company has made digital copies of more than 12 million books during the past five years, but can’t display most of them until copyright issues are resolved.
Chin has scheduled a Feb. 18 hearing to consider whether he will grant final approval to the complex settlement that was first worked out 15 months ago.
This article appeared on page D – 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle