Authors Guild Wants Google Before The Supreme Court

The Authors Guild, claiming that Google’s use of copyrighted work in its Google Books Service goes beyond “fair use,” has filed a writ of certiorari. Google Books allows users to search and access extended excerpts of copyrighted books. The Guild, noting that circuits are split on questions raised by this practice, maintains that Google should be paying copyright fees. The parties at one time had worked out a settlement, but it was rejected by a district court judge in 2011.