Google Deadline Delayed Four Months as Steinbeck Motion Granted

Andrew Albanese -- Publishers Weekly, 4/28/2009 1:23:00 PM

In a surprise move, New York Judge Denny Chin today granted a four-month extension to a group of authors, led by Gail Knight Steinbeck, delaying the May 5 deadline to opt out or object to the Google Book Search settlement to early September. Although the order had not yet been made public at press time, sources confirmed for PW that Chin had granted the extension. 

Steinbeck, the driving force behind the extension, called the ruling great news. “We now have to time to really sink our teeth into what this agreement will mean,” she said. She suggested that four months should be sufficient to determine whether changes made to the deal will make it more acceptable, or whether to opt out—or perhaps even object to the deal.

The Internet Archive (IA), which had a motion to intervene denied by Chin last week, also praised the decision. “We think this is very good news,” IA’s Peter Brantley told PW.  “We are very interested in working with partners to…more squarely identify our concerns and articulate them to a broader audience.

Authors Guild president Paul Aiken shrugged off the extension. “We’d hoped for a shorter extension of time, since we’re eager to get on to the next phase of the process,” he told PW. “It’s not surprising, however. Nothing about this settlement has happened quickly.”