The Disabled Are On Google's Side In Books Settlement

Advocates for the disabled have asked a federal court to approve a controversial settlement of a lawsuit filed by book authors and publishers against Google. "The settlement's benefits for readers with disabilities are extraordinary," the American Association of People with Disabilities said in a letter filed last week with the court. "People for whom transportation to a library or bookstore is difficult, unavailable or expensive would have access to these books through their computer," the organization wrote in a letter to U.S. District Court Judge Denny Chin in Manhattan. "People with vision loss will be able to search for books through the Google Books interface and purchase, borrow, or read at a public library any of the books that are available to the general public in accessible formats."