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The UK government will not lodge any objection with the US court ahead of the fairness hearing into the revised Google Book Settlement in February.
A spokesperson for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills told The Bookseller it was "right" that the Publishers Association "leads the process". Both the French and the German governments filed objections to the first Settlement last autumn. This month the French Publishers Association said it had also approved 10 pages of objections to the second draft of the Settlement.
The spokesperson added: "Stakeholders in the UK have engaged positively with Google about the terms of their settlement on Google Books, and the UK Publishers Association strongly supports the revised settlement.
"It is right that the Publishers Association leads in this process. Digitisation of books potentially offers both cultural and economic benefits with improved access to works and new revenue streams for copyright owners, but it is important that any solution properly balances the needs of authors, publishers, consumers and competitors."
The fairness hearing will be held in New York on 18th February. Publishers and authors wishing to opt out of the Settlement must do so by Thursday (28th January). Random House UK, Penguin UK and Hachette UK have all said they will opt in, although Hachette UK will make its authors' works
unavailable for 'display uses' on the system. HarperCollins UK has declined to comment on its position.