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The judge presiding over the Google Settlement has agreed to delay the Fairness Hearing at the request of the Association of American Publishers and US Authors Guild. But he added that the public would benefit from a "a fair and reasonable settlement".
Judge Denny Chin has called for the "status conference" to take place on 7th October, and not in November. The plaintiffs had asked for it to take place on 6th November. Chin said he wanted "to determine how to proceed with the case as expeditiously as possible, as this case has now been pending for four years". Chin said those that had filed requests to be heard at the Fairness Hearing could still attend on 7th October, but said that he would not hear arguments from them.
The two plaintiffs, with the agreement of the defendant Google, made the delay request earlier this week after last week's intervention by the US Justice Department. Chin said: "The current settlement agreement raises significant issues, as demonstrated not only by the number of objections, but also by the fact that the objectors include countries, states, non-profit organisations and prominent authors and law professors. Clearly fair concerns have been raised."
But he noted that "the proposed settlement would offer many benefits to society, as recognized by supporters of the settlement as well as DOJ. ... It would appear that if a fair and reasonable settlement can be struck, the public would benefit."