Google Book Search Settlement Agreement

The Google Book Search Settlement Agreement was a proposed settlement agreement between the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers, and Google in the settlement of Authors Guild et al. v. Google, a class action lawsuit alleging copyright infringement on the part of Google. The settlement was initially proposed in 2008, but ultimately rejected by the court in 2011. In November 2013, the presiding U.S. Circuit Judge dismissed Authors Guild et al. v. Google. On April 18, 2016, the Supreme Court turned down an appeal.

In 2002, Google began digitizing library books. In 2004, the company launched Google Books, allowing users to search its database of books. The project allowed users to view snippets of copyrighted books, and download and view full copies of public domain books.

On September 20, 2005, the Authors Guild filed a class action lawsuit in the Southern District of New York against Google. The Authors Guild argued that Google's Library Project involved "massive copyright infringement" because it created digital copies of copyrighted works. In response, Google temporarily stopped digitizing copyrighted works to allow for changes to its Print Publisher Program and to allow copyright owners to submit lists of books they wished to be excluded from the project.

On October 19, 2005, the Association of American Publishers filed another lawsuit against Google for copyright infringement, seeking an injunction on the book project. Google responded that the endeavor constituted fair use, as they were only showing "snippets" of the books that they did not have explicit permission to display from the work's copyright holder.

In Spring 2006 the parties began negotiations to settle the lawsuit.

On November 14, 2013, Authors Guild Inc. et al. v. Google Inc. (U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 05-08136), was dismissed by U.S. Circuit Judge Denny Chin. This decision was a victory for Google, granting them the right to expand their digital library.

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