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Google Inc.’s settlement with authors and publishers over the digital
scanning of books got a preliminary approval from a federal judge last
week, but the controversy may be far from over. In fact, legal experts and industry observers who have been closely
following the case believe the fight over Google’s ambitious
book-scanning efforts is just starting all over again.
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Two groups ask a federal judge for more time to address new issues in a settlement covering the firm’s digital library project. A hearing is set for Oct. 7, but they want it moved to Nov. 6.
Consumer Watchdog, an advocacy group in Santa Monica, objected to the
"closed-door" nature of the negotiations with the Justice Department. "Key copyright issues must be settled by Congress in a fully public process," said John Simpson, a Consumer Watchdog spokesman.
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Officials
cite concerns that the agreement with authors and publishers could run
afoul of antitrust and copyright laws. But they also propose
modifications to make the settlement pass muster.
In
recent months, many groups have voiced concerns over whether the
agreement would give Google too much pricing power and whether the
Mountain View, Calif., company would adequately safeguard reader
privacy. Consumer Watchdog praised the move by Justice
officials. "This is a victory for consumers and the broader public
interest," said a group advocate, John Simpson.
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The Justice Department on Thursday said it had launched a formal antitrust investigation into the proposed settlement over the Google Inc. project to scan millions of books into a digital format. In recent months, a number of parties have objected to the settlement, including Consumer Watchdog in Santa Monica, the American Library Assn. and the Internet Archive, a nonprofit organization that seeks to digitize public domain books and make them freely available online. Many of the objections involve concerns that Google would create a monopoly on digital books.
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Google’s project to digitize books is garnering objections.
Another group, Consumer Watchdog in Santa Monica, also confirmed
discussions with Justice Department officials on the effects of the
settlement on competition.
