Open Book Alliance Joins EFF Letter to Judge Chin

The Electronic Frontier Foundation today today sent a letter to the Judge presiding over the Google Book Settlement case, urging him to ensure fairness in the hearing process. The Open Book Alliance was proud to be among many dozens of signatories to the letter.

Open Book Alliance’s position has been that whatever revised settlement Google and its partners unveil on November 9^th, it must be subject to full review and scrutiny by the vast array of voices – authors, academics, consumer advocates, privacy groups, libraries – who have spoken out against the settlement.  The parties should not be allowed to put unreasonable limits on either the substance or time that stakeholders have to comment on the revised proposal, especially one that the DOJ called “one of the most far-reaching class action settlements of which the United States is aware.”

The letter highlights that while the many objectors to the settlement have varying and sometimes different concerns, that we are all disturbed by the attempt by Google and its partners to limit the notice, time, and objections of opponents to the settlement.

In the words of the EFF:

“The Google Book Settlement is simply too important — and too complex — to be rushed through the court approval processes without sufficient opportunity for analysis and comment.”