Google’s settlement with authors and publishers to gain copyright licenses over millions of books will expand the underprivileged’s access to information, a group of professors and civil rights advocates argued Thursday.
In a conference call with reporters, a broad group of professors and civil rights leaders said that the important social benefits of the settlement – which would allow Google to make millions of out-of-print books accessible online – are getting lost in the discussion of the settlement, which has drawn a fierce group of critics hoping to block a federal court from approving it.
Google helped arrange the event, which the participants said they called to bring more attention to the settlement’s benefits. The settlement is scheduled for a hearing at U.S. District Court in New York in October. Parties have until next Tuesday to file briefs for or against the settlement with the court.
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But those with a different view are now speaking out too. Lateef Mtima, a law professor at Howard University School of Law, said on the call that the settlement will “bridge the digital divide” by giving students without access to fancy libraries exposure to a broad range of texts over the Web.
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