Curiouser and curiouser: Justice ratchets up Google Books probe.
Curiouser and curiouser about the proposed Google orphan books settlement, the U.S. Justice Department is asking for material from some of the people involved.
Will some book people go to Congress asking our solons to bless the settlement’s anti-trust exemptions?
If so, doesn’t that remind you a little of what some in the newspaper business would like to see happen? The books settlement is focused mostly on a specific class of work, out of print but still copyrighted books. But as a nonlawyer, I wonder about the ramifications not just for the book industry as a whole but also for other industries.
If competition-related laws weaken in various industries, what will this mean in terms of workers’ rights? Right now the law can get seriously in the way of freelance writers organizing. But if owners can legally collude, what about the peons? Will Washington be just as accommodating? I doubt it.
Related: Google doesn’t kill newspapers. People kill newspapers—from Nieman Journalism Lab. For another perspective, see Revenue at Craigslist is said to top $100 million, in the New York Times, as well as a Techmeme roundup.
Usual disclosure/reminder: For retirement purposes, I’m a very small Google shareholder.
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