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Google has agreed to have two non-US representatives on the governing board of the registry that will administer the landmark settlement between its and US publishers and autors, according to a letter sent to 16 European Union publishers' representatives at the weekend, a copy of which has been seen by the Financial Times.
The concessions have been made in an effort to stem a rising tide of anger over its landmark digital books settlement in the US. According to the letter, it is also promising to consult European publishers before cataloguing some European works in its digital library.
The undertaking means that two of the eight directors of the Books Rights Registry, a body funded by Google as part of the $125m (£76m) class-action deal reached last October, will likely be Europeans or representatives of European publishers and authors.
A third European, Michael Healy is expected to serve as the Book Rights Registry’s first executive director once it is created.