Authors Guild files appeal in Google copyright claim

The Authors Guild filed an appellate brief on Friday, renewing its complaint that Google is violating copyright laws with its mass book digitization project. The brief, filed with the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, claims that Google's "Library Project" is scanning copyrighted works and making them available online without the copyright holders' consent, "driv[ing] potential book purchasers away from online book retailers, increas[ing] its advertising revenue, and stifl[ing] its competition." The original lawsuit was filed in 2005 with asettlement agreement reached in 2008 that was rejected by a federal judge in 2011. The Authors Guild has suggested that Congress instead establish a "National Digital Library" that would be available to schools, libraries, and other subscribing institutions.