Octopus USA to Close
Hachette UK's Octopus Publishing Group is reorganizing and will close Octopus Books USA, laying off the marketing team of v-p Jonathan Stolper and publicity director Andrea Glickson. U.K.-originated titles will be handled in the U.S. by HBG's Client Services Group. The number of titles aimed at the U.S. will be reduced in line with the planned reduction in title output by the parent company.

Google Editions Summer Launch
Google's Chris Palma used PW's panel "The Book on Google" to announce that Google Editions, a new e-book–selling venture, will launch this summer. Google also said it will use different ISBNs to identify titles sold as Google Editions.

Burkle Sues B&N
Barnes & Noble's largest outside shareholder, Ron Burkle, has filed a lawsuit claiming the poison pill provision adopted to prevent him from acquiring more stock creates a "slanted playing field" in favor of B&N's majority stockholders, Len and Steve Riggio. Burkle owns 19% and would like to acquire up to 37%. B&N called the suit "meritless."

CPSIA Hearing Disappoints
Last week's hearing before a House committee on a proposed amendment to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act did not address concerns of publishers, who argue they should be exempted from the act's provisions on products that contain lead. Publishers claim virtually no "ordinary" children's books contain lead above the limits outlined in the CPSIA. The current stay of enforcement expires in February 2011.

Authors Guild Cites Copy Gap
Citing a "quirk" in the Copyright Act, the Authors Guild and the Songwriters Guild of America filed a joint statement with the U.S. Copyright Office asking Congress to eliminate a potential "gap" in termination rights. The filing claims that if the gap is not corrected, as many as 100,000 creators may not be able to exercise termination rights granted to them under the law in 1976.

Moran Leaving Chronicle for Whitman
Josalyn Moran is leaving her post as children's publishing director at Chronicle Books after just one year, for a new job as v-p, publishing, at Albert Whitman & Company. Her last day at Chronicle will be May 21, and she will start at Whitman on May 24. Moran's new role will have her leading the editorial team at Whitman, which is best known for the classic Boxcar Children Mysteries series. Moran had been v-p of children's books at Barnes & Noble for nine years prior to joining Chronicle. Moran relocated to San Francisco for the Chronicle job, and will move to the Chicago area for Whitman. She will attend BEA on behalf of Whitman.

Triangle Award Winners
The 22nd Annual Triangle Awards, honoring the best lesbian and gay fiction, nonfiction, and poetry of 2009, were presented late last month in New York City by Publishing Triangle, an association of lesbians and gay men in publishing. Pictured (l. to r.) are presenter Laura Flanders, leadership award-winner Michele Karlsberg, lifetime achievement winner Blanche Wiesen Cook, presenter Kate Clinton, PT’s Trent Duffy, poetry winner Ronaldo V. Wilson, fiction winner Sebastian Stuart and PT chair Carol Rosenfeld.