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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Google and the
Authors Guild filed a new version of a deal to create a massive
online library on Friday in hopes of answering antitrust and
copyright concerns in the United States and overseas. Critics of the deal have been a varied group that includes
Yahoo, Amazon, Microsoft, the
National Writers Union, Consumer Watchdog and singer Arlo
Guthrie.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Critics of Google’s deal with an authors’ group to put millions of books online have asked for a delay in a hearing set to consider the settlement in a court filing on Thursday. A long list of critics of the deal, including Yahoo, Amazon, Microsoft, the National Writers Union, Consumer Watchdog and singer Arlo Guthrie, argued on Thursday that the original class action settlement was long and complex and any changes would only add to its complexity
Press Release
Group Also Releases 3rd Round Of Annotated Google Documents In ‘Charmwatch’ Campaign
SANTA MONICA, CA — Consumer Watchdog today slammed Google for its
apparent hypocrisy in marketing its new "cloud computing" products,
blandly assuring customers that their data is secure on Google Internet
servers but at the same time warning shareholders of the security risks
posed by swift expansion of its commercial online business. The
nonpartisan, nonprofit group sent a letter to a Los Angeles City
Councilman showing that Google says one thing when trying to sell its
products, but something else in federally required filings aimed at
shareholders. Consumer Watchdog also released another round of
annotated Google P.R. documents in its Google “Charmwatch” campaign.
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Justice Dept. Cites Possible Copyright, Antitrust Violations
Critics of the agreement, including consumer groups and competitors
Amazon and Microsoft, argue that it would give Google near exclusive
licensing rights to millions of out-of-print books, potentially harming
consumers by giving the company exclusive control over prices for
digital books. "A single entity cannot be allowed to build a digital library based
on a monopolistic advantage," said John M. Simpson, a consumer advocate
with public interest group Consumer Watchdog.
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The
Open Book Alliance, a group formed by interests who oppose the current
settlement plan, said it was pleased with DOJ’s action. Making books
searchable, readable and downloadable can unlock huge amounts of
cultural knowledge but the arrangement as drafted is the wrong way to
go about making that promise a reality, the group said. One of Google’s
chief critics, a nonprofit called Consumer Watchdog, said even if DOJ’s
concerns are addressed, the settlement should not be implemented.
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John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog said he was pleased with the filing. "As the Justice brief makes clear, the proposed class-action
settlement is monumentally overbroad and invites the court to overstep
its legal jurisdiction, to the detriment of consumers and the public,"
Simpson said in an email.
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Internet-search giant Google is making conciliatory gestures in an effort to blunt mounting opposition to a copyright deal that is the foundation of its plan to build the biggest online library, Google Books. Urging the court to reject the Google Books deal, Consumer Watchdog, a
consumer group, said last week the proposed settlement conflicts with
international copyright treaties such as the Berne Convention for the
Protection of Literary and Artistic Works. It "would strip rights from
millions of absent-class members worldwide, for the sole benefit of
Google," referring to authors and publishers who did not or could not
opt out of the deal between Google and the Guild for the Google Book
Search.
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Concerns center on possible monopoly, invasion of privacy
John M. Simpson of Consumer Watchdog,
a California-based non-profit, said a key problem is the unfair
competitive advantage Google receives under the settlement that comes
from its attempt to pull an end-run around the appropriate legislative solution
to the orphan books problem. “This is not an issue for a court and
certainly one that cannot be settled by solving the problem for one
large corporation and no one else,” he said in testimony before the
House Judiciary Committee last week.
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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.
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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."
