French President Sarkozy Opposes GBS 2.0

International opposition to Google Books Settlement 2.0 continues to grow.  Most recently, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he’ll block Google from digitizing “France’s heritage.”  According to a BusinessWeek story, Sarkozy suggested that a share of a multi-billion Euro-economic investment plan could be used to digitize French books.

GBS 2.0 foes in France also include Editions du Seuil, a publisher that says Google Books violated national copyright laws.  Editions du Seuil challenged Google in a French court in September and awaits a judge’s decision on Dec. 18.  Google has scanned over 100,000 French works still protected by copyright, according to the Syndicat National de l’Edition, one of the two trade groups that have joined Editions du Seuil’s complaint