Google Defends Book Settlement, Setting Stage for Court Hearing

Google urged a federal judge to accept a $125 million settlement that would allow it to distribute digital books.

The agreement won't hurt competition in the growing digital books market, the company said in a filing last night with a U.S. district court. The company sought to counter objections by the U.S. Justice Department and others that the class-action settlement grants Google rights that go beyond the disputes raised in the lawsuit. The settlement "is not 'a bridge too far'," Google said in a filing in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Terming the settlement "remarkably creative," the filing said it "will open the virtual doors to the greatest library in history, without costing authors a dime they now receive or are likely to receive if the settlement is not approved." A rejection of the settlement "will keep those library doors locked while inviting costly, fragmented litigation that could clog dockets around the country for years," the filing said.

The filing represents the final written word in the case before District Court Judge Denny Chin holds a hearing on Feb. 18 and reiterates arguments Google has previously made in support of the settlement.