Tag Archive | "going to court"
Google Receives Federal Request For Book Settlement Info
The U.S. Justice Department is reportedly investigating Google's digital books settlement with publishers, which Google claims will make millions of volumes accessible to all but which has critics crying antitrust issues. Google's books project has run into opposition from a number of groups, including Consumer Watchdog, arguing that it gives the search engine company too much control over content with little oversight.
Continue reading...Obama’s Googler Draws Fire
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
A pair of consumer advocacy groups sent the White House a letter on Wednesday urging the administration not to appoint Google’s Andrew McLaughlin to the post, a move reported to be in works by several media outlets. McLaughlin is Google’s director of global public policy. That means he has been “responsible for Google’s worldwide lobbying efforts,” said the letter from Consumer Watchdog and Center for Digital Democracy. Obama has issued an executive order barring anyone who has worked as a lobbyist in the past two years from serving in a federal agency that they lobbied.
Continue reading...Google University of Michigan Sign Digital Library Oversight Agreement
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Google attracted more negative attention than perhaps it bargained for with its goal to digitize the world's libraries. In April 2009, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, Consumer Watchdog, wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asking the government to examine the settlement between Google, The Author's Guild, and the Association of American Publishers (AAP). That settlement, Consumer Watchdog argued, deserved to be placed under government review because it gave Google the same financial terms of digital-book rights as any future competitor.
Continue reading...Google’s New Scourge Strikes A Nerve
Friday, May 15, 2009
In-your-face watchdog gets advice from Microsoft 'people,' interest from Verizon SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Google Inc. has attracted a number of critics over the years, but the Internet search giant hasn't yet had to deal with any as jarringly adversarial as Consumer Watchdog. "Their tactics tend to be more confrontational than others'," said Tim Little, executive director of the Rose Foundation, an Oakland, Calif.-based organization that funds Consumer Watchdog. "But sometimes there's a place for folks being confrontational."
Continue reading...U. Chicago Law Prof Criticizes Settlement That Could Give Google Monopoly On ‘Orphaned’ Texts
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
CHICAGO, IL -- University of Chicago law professor Randal Picker raised concerns recently over a court settlement that will grant Google the exclusive right to publish orphaned texts –- texts which remain under copyright, but whose copyright holder can't be identified or found-a move he felt could give Google a powerful monopoly. A group of professors from Harvard Law School, and the Internet Archive, have each independently filed motions to intervene in the case on the grounds of antitrust violations. Several groups, including The Internet Archive and Consumer Watchdog, have also raised concerns about the issue to the U.S. Department of Justice, which so far has not displayed any intention to involve itself in the case.
Continue reading...Google Presentation On “Google, Competition and Openness” Shared With Justice Department And Myths Debunked By Consumer Watchdog
Friday, May 8, 2009
Washington, DC -- Consumer Watchdog has sent to the U.S. Justice Department a Google document presenting the best corporate arguments for why Google should not be viewed as monopolistic, along with a duplicate of the presentation marked up with comments from an expert countering the claims. The nonprofit consumer group received both documents from an anonymous industry insider.
Continue reading...Facing Criticism, Google Tries Buffing Its Image
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Google, having dealt with two major antitrust issues 2008 and facing the potential of more to come, has begun a program to try to spruce up its image and show that competition is alive and well. Consumer Watchdog on Friday plans to tout a Google presentation titled Google, Competition, and Openness (PDF) that the advocacy group uncovered. The company presentation (also embedded below) gives Google's views that it faces plenty of competition in a dynamic market.
Continue reading...Library Groups Voice Concerns About Google Books
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Google has said the settlement will benefit authors, publishers and readers, because it will result in expanded access to books. Nonetheless, the deal is drawing increasingly vocal critics. Among others, advocacy group Public Citizen opposes a portion of the settlement, as does Consumer Watchdog. Additionally, New York Law School intends to file a brief asking for antitrust oversight of the deal. Last week, it also came to light that the Justice Department was making inquiries about the settlement.
Continue reading...Google Defends Book-Scanning Project
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
US antitrust enforcers are investigating Google's settlement with publishers over its book-scanning project, but the internet firm has defended its position. Google reached an agreement in October to create a $125 million fund to pay authors to have their work scanned and made available online. The US Justice Department became involved after representatives for Consumer Watchdog and the American Antitrust Institute raised concerns earlier this month, according to Bloomberg News.
Continue reading...Google Book Search Changes Slammed by Librarians
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
In early April 2009, a nonprofit watchdog group, Consumer Watchdog, had called upon the Justice Department to examine the ramifications of Google's plan to scan so-called "orphan books," which are volumes still under copyright but whose rights-holders cannot be found, into its growing library of digital text. An advocate for the group argued in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder that such a deal would need to be reviewed to ensure that it had sufficient consumer protections.
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
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