Inside Google

Press Release

Justice Is Probing Google’s Book Deal

CONTACT: Alex Pham

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.

Press Release

DOJ letter shows Google anti-trust probe is serious

CONTACT: John M. Simpson

The U.S. Justice Department is serious about probing the Google Books settlement for possible anti-trust violations. Consumer Watchdog was one of the first organizations to ask the department to investigate.

Press Release

DOJ Officially Opens Investigation Into Google Book Search

CONTACT: Nancy Gohring

The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed on Thursday that it is
investigating a settlement involving Google Book Search for possible
antitrust violations, following months of speculation that the agency
had its eye on the service. Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit group,
argues that the proposal gives Google special protections against
lawsuits over the orphan works. Those special protections would
discourage potential Google competitors from entering the digital book
business unless they could negotiate a similar protection, the group
argues. Consumer Watchdog has urged the DOJ to examine the settlement.

Press Release

Google Makes a Case That It Isn’t So Big

CONTACT: Miguel Helft

Eyes are rolling, especially in reaction to the idea that Google is a
relatively small player in a giant market. “They describe where they
are in a market under a kind of a fairy-tale spun gloss that doesn’t
reflect their dominance of key sectors,” said Jeff Chester, executive
director of the Center for Digital Democracy. “Google search is an
absolute must-have for every marketer in the world.”

Press Release

Google Says It Loves Competition

CONTACT: Richard Koman

With Justice Department scrutiny over the Google Books Settlement
only the the leading edge of antitrust regulators’ attention to Google,
the company has launched a dog-and-pony show dedicated to combating the
impression that more control is needed. In a presentation (PDF)
acquired by Consumer Watchdog, Google public affairs lead Adam
Kovacevich argued that Google is anything but anti-competitive. Its
success comes from “learning by doing,” the presentation says.

Press Release

Google Polishes Competition Charm Offensive

CONTACT: Tom Krazit

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Google continued to lay the groundwork Wednesday for
an antitrust defense in the event that the federal government decides
to take a formal look at its core business.
Inside a conference room in Google’s San Francisco office,
executives ran through essentially the same presentation leaked last
month by the consumer activist group Consumer Watchdog,
focusing most of their efforts on trying to paint a picture of Google
as just one part of a large Internet ecosystem, as opposed to a
dominant search giant.

Press Release

Reports: DOJ Turns Up The Heat On Google’s Book Deal

CONTACT: Juan Carlos Perez

The U.S. Department of Justice has stepped up its review of a deal that would settle a lawsuit publishers and authors filed against Google over the latter’s book search engine, according to published reports. Consumer Watchdog has charged that the proposed settlement gives Google special protections against lawsuits over orphan works.

Press Release

Google Receives Federal Request For Book Settlement Info

CONTACT: Staff Writers

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.

Press Release

Obama Urged To Halt Google Government Takeover – Stop The Revolving Door

CONTACT: Cade Metz

Two consumer watchdogs – including the aptly-named Consumer Watchdog – have urged US President Barack Obama to avoid appointing Google’s director of global public policy as the country’s deputy chief technology officer.

Press Release

Google’s Former Policy Exec Faces Objections To Appointment As Deputy CTO

CONTACT: Thomas Claburn

Two consumer groups object to Andrew McLaughlin’s potential appointment, saying it would violate President Obama’s ethics guidelines.

Andrew McLaughlin is slated to become the new deputy CTO, under federal
CTO Aneesh Chopra, according to a New York Times report citing two
unnamed sources. Google has acknowledged McLaughlin’s departure, but not his
destination. The White House has not yet announced plans to appoint
McLaughlin. Nonetheless, the Center for Digital Democracy and Consumer Watchdog on
Wednesday asked President Obama in a letter not to complete the rumored
pending appointment because doing so would violate the President’s
ethics guidelines.