From Publishers Weekly
Key voices in the Google Settlement Debate
by Andrew Richard Albanese
In recognizing Bertelsmann's Richard Sarnoff as PW's Publishing Person of the Year, we salute his vision and hard work. In particular, we salute the discussion the settlement process has generated, and wish to recognize other key voices in this historic conversation so far....
Pamela Samuelson
University of California, Berkeley, law [and information] professor Pamela Samuelson has raised critical issues with the settlement—and her filings with the court could prove to be influential. “Let's start with two givens,” Samuelson recently wrote in the Nation. “First, Google is an outstandingly innovative company. Second, Google is no more above the law than any other company, no matter how much social benefit its projects would arguably bestow on society.” Samuelson's criticism captures the conflict at the heart of this deal: should the parties be allowed to possibly bend the law because of the settlement's potential cultural benefits? No, Samuelson insists. “Arguments that the settlement is in the public interest should be directed to Congress, not the courts,” she writes. “The GBS class action settlement would set a dangerous precedent and undermine democratic values.”