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The government's stance on the revised Google Settlement has been heavily criticised by authors, with novelist Nick Harkaway calling it "a statement of crawling weakness".
A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (DBIS) last week confirmed that the government would not be lodging an objection to the settlement, saying it was "right" that the Publishers Association "leads in this process". The PA has backed the revised settlement.
Novelists Graham Swift, Clare Morrall and Philip Pullman are the latest to have opted out.
Children's author Diana Kimpton said it made "absolutely no sense at all" for publishers to negotiate the future of out-of-print books whose rights have reverted to the author. Writer Charles Butler said: "The Publishers Association exists to look after the interests of publishers . . . these are assuredly not identical with those of authors and other rights-holders."
Harkaway said while the government claims it wants to protect copyright in the internet age, "it refuses to engage with what may be the largest infringement of intellectual property which has ever taken place". He added: "It's a statement of crawling weakness; they're happy to send summonses to teenagers over filesharing, but terrified of upholding the rights of UK authors against the actions of a vastly powerful media entity."
Responding to the criticism, the DBIS said "an industry-led solution, involving both publishers and authors, is the best and most efficient way forward in this case".