Coalition Says Google Book Settlement Violates Treaty

A coalition that includes firms that compete with Google says a proposed settlement aimed at allowing Google to create an online digital library violates U.S. treaty obligations aimed at protecting intellectual property. The Open Book Alliance, which includes Google rivals Amazon.com, Microsoft and Yahoo as well as some smaller publishers and writers groups, released an analysis of the proposed settlement between Google and the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers that claims the deal violates the Berne Convention's Protection of Literary and Artistic Works as well as the nondiscrimination provision of the World Trade Organization's agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

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