Saturday, September 05, 2009


French publishers association joins Google doubters
04.09.09 Barbara Casassus - The Bookseller
The French Publishers Association has become the latest European body to write to the US judge who will rule on the class action suit against Google on 7th October. The association stated its "strong opposition" to the draft 
agreement between the search engine and American authors and publishers.

In a statement released Thursday, the Syndicat National de l’Edition (SNE) said that the accord was inconsistent with the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and other laws governing the sector. The pact discriminates against non-American authors and publishers and "offers no basis for an equitable and balanced partnership," the SNE said.
The SNE, which claims to represent 53 French publishers and 80% of the country’s book market, welcomed the French and German governments’ intention to notify the US judge of their opposition to the agreement.
The assocation also said it would pursue the legal complaint that it had filed against Google with La Martinière-Le Seuil and the French writers union, la Société des Gens de Lettres. The case will be heard at a Paris court on 24th September.

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