DOJ Weighs in on Amended Google Book Settlement
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Last September, the US Justice Department urged the courts to reject the Google Book Settlement, citing concerns about class action, copyright, and anti-trust laws. The DOJ's brief put the Settlement's approval process on hold, and forced the parties back to the negotiating table--resulting, in November, in the filing of an Amended Settlement . New deadlines were set for authors and for the filing of objections, and the Fairness Hearing (to determine if the Settlement will stand) was postponed to February 18, 2010. On Thursday, in a statement of interest filed with U.S. District Court Judge Denny Chin in New York, the DOJ indicated that, while it continues to believe that the Settlement could provide a major public good, and acknowledges that the Amended Settlement Agreement includes "substantial" changes, it's still not satisfied. (The filing can be seen here .) The DOJ's strongly-stated concerns fall into the sa...