Reuters and The Wall Street Journal (paywall warning) are reporting that New York District Judge Denny Chin in a status hearing today ordered that changes to the Google Book Search settlement must be presented in court by Nov. 9.
Google Book Search is the pending pact between Google and the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers that would enable Google to scan millions of books online and license them to readers for fees.
Today was supposed to be judgment day for Google, the Author’s Guild and the Association of American Publishers, which inked their pact one year ago this month.
But the authors and publishers last month asked Chin for an extension so they could make changes that would be more favorable for the Department of Justice and opponents of the deal.
Chin acquiesced and called a status hearing for today to see where the parties were at in their new negotiations.
That hearing lasted all of 15 minutes. Reuters reported Chin said he hoped the parties would file a motion for preliminary approval of the amended deal by Nov. 9, with the notion to “hold a hearing in late December or early January on possible final approval.”
I don’t think I was being any sort of Nostradamus when I wrote that we wouldn’t see a settlement until 2010.
Thirty-plus days seem like a boatload of time for Google, the authors and publishers to rehash a deal to make it kinder to orphan works and the competition.
But considering that it took the defendant and plaintiffs nearly four years to reach a settlement agreement — this battle dates to 2005 — maybe a month to revise this deal is Sisyphean?
Just playing devil’s advocate here. It’s kind of my thing, you know.
UPDATE: The New York Times has the most detailed piece on today’s hearing here.