Inside Google

DC Dispatch: The week in review

Carmen Balber

Things got busy fast this week in DC as Congress returned from the month-long summer break.

Finance committee chair Sen. Max Baucus released his long-awaited health reform proposal on Tuesday after months of closed-door meetings…

Press Release

Lawmakers Created Google Settlement Mess, But Some Urge Staying Out Of It

CONTACT: Greg Piper

By failing to pass orphan works legislation in previous sessions, Congress practically guaranteed a messy settlement would result from Google’s scanning and display of millions of out-of-print works found only in libraries, several lawmakers said at a House Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday. Consumer Watchdog’s John M. Simpson, perhaps Google’s most vocal
nonprofit critic in Washington, said the settlement "simply furthers
the relatively narrow agenda" of Google, the Authors Guild and
Association of American Publishers. Congress should pass orphan-works
or fair-use legislation, so Google won’t get an "unprecedented
monopolistic advantage" over some books.

Consumer Watchdog Backs Digital Libraries, Opposes Google Books Settlement Deal

John M. Simpson

Testimony Says Deal Violates Law, Is Anti-Competitive And Raises Privacy Concerns

WASHINGTON, DC — The proposed Google Books settlement should be
rejected because it is anticompetitive, violates both U.S. and
international law and raises substantial threats to privacy, Consumer
Watchdog’s John M. Simpson told the House Judiciary Committee today.

Press Release

Official: Book Settlement Makes ‘Mockery’ Of Copyright Law

CONTACT: Grant Gross

Google’s proposed book settlement with book authors and publishers, allowing the company to digitize and sell millions of books, makes a "mockery" of copyright protections in the U.S. Constitution, the head of the U.S. Copyright Office said Thursday. The settlement would give Google an "unlawful and inappropriate"
monopoly and strips away the rights of copyright holders worldwide,
added John Simpson, a consumer advocate with Consumer Watchdog.
"The deal simply furthers the relatively narrow agenda of Google, the
Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers," he said.

Press Release

Congressional Panel To Review Pros, Cons Of Google’s Book Deal With Authors, Publishers

CONTACT: Associated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Congressional committee will review the pros and cons of a class-action settlement that would give Google Inc. the digital rights
to millions of copyrighted books that are no long being published. The
antitrust concerns prompted the U.S. Department of Justice to open an
investigation into whether the settlement will undermine competition.
The Justice Department is scheduled to report some of its preliminary
filings to Chin by Sept. 18. Other critics, including consumer
watchdog groups and some library associations, are worried the deal
will open a window on what kinds of books people are reading.

Press Release

Congress To Weigh Google Books Settlement

CONTACT: Miguel Helft

Others witnesses are likely to cast a more skeptical eye on the
agreement, including John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit
that has opposed the agreement; Randall Picker, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School who has raised antitrust concerns; and Marybeth Peters, the head of the United States Copyright Office, who has also raised questions about the deal.

Press Release

Flurry Of Last-Minute Objections to Google Book Project

CONTACT: Chris Lefkow

Consumer advocacy group Consumer Watchdog warned that "if the
settlement were approved, it would give Google a default monopoly to
books for which the rightsholders cannot be located, resulting in
unfair competitive advantages to Google in the search engine,
electronic book sales, and other markets."

Press Release

Congressional Hearing To Focus On Google Book Search

CONTACT: Andrew Albanese

The Google Book Search Settlement has taken yet another twist: in a
last minute announcement, the House Judiciary Committee today posted
notice that it would hold a hearing on “The Competition and Commerce in
Digital Books” or, in other words, the Google Books Search Settlement, on Thursday, September 10th at 10am. With the hearing, the Google Book Search settlement has now hit the
trifecta—all three branches of government are involved: the Judiciary
is overseeing the settlement; the Executive, via the Department of
Justice, is looking at antitrust issues; and now Congress, which brings
the widest possible government scope from which to address potential
issues with book digitization.

Consumer Advocacy Groups Call For Internet Privacy Protections

Staff Writers

A group of 10 consumer advocacy groups, including the U.S. Public
Interest Research Group, Consumers Union and the Consumer Federation of
America, has called on the U.S. Congress to enact legislation to
protect consumer privacy amid the growing use of Internet technology
that tracks consumers’ online behavior. A bill is expected to be
submitted this fall in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s
Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet.

Press Release

As Deadline Passes, NWU, Consumer Watchdog Join Google Books Objectors

CONTACT: Andrew Albanese

The National Writers Union and Consumer Watchdog were among those to
file briefs urging rejection as the Google Book Search Settlement
deadline officially passed this morning. Although the final lineup of
objectors won’t be known until all the last-minute briefs have been
processed by the court, the groups join DC Comics, The American Society
of Journalists and Authors, a coalition of some 58 authors and the Open
Book Alliance (which includes Google competitors Microsoft and
Amazon.com) in urging the court to reject the proposed settlement.