Tech and internet giants Sony and Google have joined forces in the fight over digitising books online, with the former supporting a proposed copyright lawsuit settlement against the publishing industry that will see Google be given permission to scan millions of books for public access.
The two companies are now facing off against Yahoo, Microsoft and Amazon, with all three joining forces to stop the proposed settlement.
Google is looking to scan, index and then sell millions of books as part of its Google Book Search program, but publishers have opposed the move on copyright grounds. The settlement would give the company permission to go ahead with its plans.
Additionally, Yahoo, Microsoft and Amazon have all opposed the move by saying that Google will end up having rights that no other company can have unless there is a similar lawsuit settlement in the future.
Sony has been given a 4 September deadline to file an amicus brief, with the same deadline given to authors and publishers to either opt out or declare their opposition to the settlement.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
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