Tag Archive | "justice department"
Consumer Watchdog Tells Justice Any Google Deal Must Include Means Of Enforcement
WASHINGTON, DC -- Any plan offered by Google meant to overcome objections to the proposed Google Books settlement must include a “binding agreement with the full force of law,” Consumer Watchdog told the U.S. Justice Department today. Justice has until Friday to file its position on the books settlement with the court.
Continue reading...Google Strives To Build Biggest Online Library
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
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.
Continue reading...Lawmakers Created Google Settlement Mess, But Some Urge Staying Out Of It
Friday, September 11, 2009
By failing to pass orphan works legislation in previous sessions, Congress practically guaranteed a messy settlement would result from Google's scanning and display of millions of out-of-print works found only in libraries, several lawmakers said at a House Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday. Consumer Watchdog's John M. Simpson, perhaps Google's most vocal nonprofit critic in Washington, said the settlement "simply furthers the relatively narrow agenda" of Google, the Authors Guild and Association of American Publishers. Congress should pass orphan-works or fair-use legislation, so Google won't get an "unprecedented monopolistic advantage" over some books.
Continue reading...Consumer Watchdog Backs Digital Libraries, Opposes Google Books Settlement Deal
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Testimony Says Deal Violates Law, Is Anti-Competitive And Raises Privacy Concerns WASHINGTON, DC -- The proposed Google Books settlement should be rejected because it is anticompetitive, violates both U.S. and international law and raises substantial threats to privacy, Consumer Watchdog’s John M. Simpson told the House Judiciary Committee today.
Continue reading...Congressional Panel To Review Pros, Cons Of Google’s Book Deal With Authors, Publishers
Thursday, September 10, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A Congressional committee will review the pros and cons of a class-action settlement that would give Google Inc. the digital rights to millions of copyrighted books that are no long being published. The antitrust concerns prompted the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation into whether the settlement will undermine competition. The Justice Department is scheduled to report some of its preliminary filings to Chin by Sept. 18. Other critics, including consumer watchdog groups and some library associations, are worried the deal will open a window on what kinds of books people are reading.
Continue reading...Congress To Weigh Google Books Settlement
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Others witnesses are likely to cast a more skeptical eye on the agreement, including John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit that has opposed the agreement; Randall Picker, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School who has raised antitrust concerns; and Marybeth Peters, the head of the United States Copyright Office, who has also raised questions about the deal.
Continue reading...Flurry Of Last-Minute Objections to Google Book Project
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
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."
Continue reading...Consumer Watchdog Urges Court To Reject Google Books Deal, Calls New Privacy Policy Inadequate
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Brief Argues Books Settlement Violates Both U.S. And International Copyright Law, Is Anticompetitive WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Consumer Watchdog today filed a brief urging a federal court to reject the proposed Google Books settlement because it is anticompetitive and violates both U.S. and international law. Separately, the consumer group called a Books privacy policy Google offered late last week inadequate.
Continue reading...Microsoft’s Secret ‘Screw Google’ Meetings In D.C.
Friday, August 28, 2009
In recent months, two heavily detailed, annotated versions of confidential Google slide presentations -- one dealing with competition issues, the other with behavioral targeting -- have been published by a Santa Monica–based group called Consumer Watchdog. The annotations are highly critical of Google and seek to rebut the search giant's arguments.
Continue reading...Court Weighs Literary Flap Of The Century
Monday, August 17, 2009
The Author's Guild has urged members to go along with a lawsuit settlement that would allow Google to digitize millions of books from libraries and make them available in its Book Search service. A prominent literary and talent agency has urged just the opposite. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice currently has the settlement under review for possible violations of antitrust laws. A federal court has extended the deadline to Sept. 4 for authors and publishers to opt out of the proposed agreement. The court has been inundated with proposed changes to the settlement, including one filed by a group of California professors who suggest the settlement isn't fair to academic writers. Several groups, including The Internet Archive and Consumer Watchdog, have also raised concerns about the issue to the Justice Department in what many consider the literary flap of the century.
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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