The Computer & Communications Industry Association has filed a brief today telling a New York federal court that competition concerns surrounding the Google Book Settlement were without merit. The brief was filed following an appearance by Ms. Erika Mann (former Member of European Parliament) on behalf of CCIA before a European Commission hearing yesterday regarding the Book Settlement in Brussels, Belgium.
Both the brief and Ms. Mann argued that competition concerns were largely over-stated, and that the Book Rights Registry that would be created by the Settlement would decrease barriers to entry in the digital book market, and increase access to out-of-print books.
The following statement can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“For the past 20 years, I have dedicated my career to fighting against monopolies and this settlement isn’t one. This settlement will increase competition for online book sales, and among books themselves. The legal framework promised by this settlement would help erase legal uncertainty and encourage others to enter the market and compete with Google, for the good of readers and rightsholders.
“CCIA continues to maintain its position that book indexing is fair use, and that only the threat of legal action by rights holders, not any actions by Google, suppresses would-be competitors to Google to enter the book search market. This settlement will increase certainty and promote market entry.”
Read the full brief filed by CCIA
Read CCIA’s Written European Testimony