Parties in Google books deal need more time

Google Incorporation and a group representing authors and publishers have asked the court for more time to revise a controversial deal that would allow Google to create a vast library of electronic books, according to a source close to the parties involved.

The parties asked the court for an extension to submit a modified version of a settlement by Friday, the source said, confirming an online report by the Wall Street Journal earlier on Monday.

Google and the parties agreed to revise the settlement in September, in the face of widespread criticism from competitors and regulators. The US Department of Justice had indicated in a court filing that there was a significant potential that the deal as written would not pass antitrust muster.

The settlement is an effort to resolve a 2005 lawsuit brought by the Authors Guild and others against Google's effort to scan libraries full of books. In that suit, authors and publishers had accused Google of copyright infringement.

Google and the authors and publishers groups were expected to file the revised settlement on Monday.

The case is Authors Guild et al versus Google Incorporation 05-08136 in US District Court for the Southern District of New York.