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Weekly News Digest
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October 30, 2008 — In addition to this week's NewsBreaks article and the monthly NewsLink Spotlight, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) offers Weekly News Digests that feature recent product news and company announcements. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today. For other up-to-the-minute news, check out ITI’s Twitter account: @ITINewsBreaks.
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Google Reaches Settlement Agreement with Publishers and Authors
The Authors Guild (www.authorsguild.org), the Association of American Publishers (AAP; www.publishers.org), and Google (www.google.com) announced a settlement agreement on behalf of a broad class of authors and publishers worldwide. The settlement would expand online access to millions of in-copyright books and other written materials in the U.S. from the collections of a number of major U.S. libraries participating in Google Book Search. The agreement, reached after 2 years of negotiations, would resolve a class-action lawsuit brought by book authors and the Authors Guild, as well as a separate lawsuit filed by five large publishers as representatives of the AAP’s membership. The class action is subject to approval by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.The agreement promises to benefit readers and researchers and enhance the ability of authors and publishers to distribute their content in digital form by significantly expanding online access to works through Google Book Search, an ambitious effort to make millions of books searchable via the web. The agreement acknowledges the rights and interests of copyright owners, provides an efficient means for these owners to control how their intellectual property is accessed online, and enables them to receive compensation for online access to their works. Under the agreement, Google will make payments totaling $125 million. The money will be used to establish the Book Rights Registry, to resolve existing claims by authors and publishers, and to cover legal fees. For more information about this agreement, including information about whether you may be a class member, please visit http://books.google.com/booksrightsholders. Note: A full NewsBreak report and analysis by Barbara Quint will be posted on Monday, Nov. 3. Source: Google, Inc.
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Brandi Scardilli
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