The US federal judge overseeing the Google Books settlement has reportedly granted preliminary approval to the revised settlement. According to the court order, the new version is ‘within the range of possible approval.’ The order also set February 18, 2010 for a final fairness hearing on the agreement, which will restore access to millions of out-of-print books.
According to Google, the agreement promises to benefit readers and researchers, and enhance the ability of authors and publishers to distribute their content in digital form.
The Open Book Alliance (OBA), a group of parties who oppose the deal, still does not approve of the new terms. It noted that the Justice Dept. has until February 4 to weigh in with its opinion of the revised settlement.
The OBA recently expressed criticism over Google’s revised book settlement proposal. It had sought a settlement proposal that would not grant Google an exclusive set of rights (de facto or otherwise) over the world's largest digital database of books.
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