Google opponents warn books deal would violate international law

A group opposed to Google's plan to put book excerpts online are warning the action could lead to an international tribunal.

Microsoft, Amazon, Yahoo! and others in a coalition opposed to Google's plans say the deal could violate two international treaties that grant exclusive rights to writers and other copyright holders, lawyer Cynthia Arato wrote in a memo produced with the Open Book Alliance. "On its face [the deal] eviscerates copyright owners' exclusive rights" to approve the reproduction of their books," Arato wrote for OBA, whose membership includes Amazon, Yahoo! and Microsoft, as well as trade groups such as the American Society of Journalists and Authors. Google's plans to create the world's largest online library ran into a legal wall in 2005, after authors and publishers filed class action copyright claims against the search giant. While Google said it was only publishing book excerpts for search purposes, under laws that permit "fair use" of copyrighted material, the authors themselves felt they were not sufficiently compensated for their work.