Today, a federal judge in Manhattan rejected the Google settlement with authors and publishers that would allow it to make millions of books available online, saying it would give the Internet giant the ability to "exploit" books without the permission of copyright owners.
Essentially, the judge felt that the settlement as it currently exists went too far in allowing Google the ability to make books available online without copyright owners' permission.
He felt that the deal would "give Google a significant advantage over competitors, rewarding it for engaging in wholesale copying of copyrighted works without permission." He also said that, "many of the concerns raised in the objections would be ameliorated if the [settlement] were converted from an opt-out to an opt-in settlement."
The judge granted the ruling without prejudice, which means that the parties can go back to the bargaining table and renegotiate.
For more, check out this online coverage:
Surprising news! There's also info about this on the Authors Guild website: http://www.authorsguild.org/advocacy.html
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