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There is only lukewarm for the Google Settlement in the US book trade, according to an online survey by the American books journal Publishers Weekly. The magazine reported that it found only "tepid support for the deal, significant confusion, or indecision—and no shortage of hyperbole" and concluded that a "great many respondents to [the] survey indicated they would prefer to face the future on their own terms rather than the settlement's".
PW received 890 responses, with 41% of respondents registering approval of the settlement, while 23% opposed the deal. But PW reported: "Whether 41% percent overall support is good news for a deal with such broad implications is open to debate—and more than two-thirds of that support is qualified: 19% said they supported the deal 'with reservations' while another 10% said they supported the deal 'with changes'; just 13% of respondents said they enthusiastically support approval. On the other hand, 14% said they oppose the deal."
PW added that more than a third (36%) remained unsure of or indifferent to the settlement. Publishers (52%) support the settlement in the greatest numbers, followed by authors (42%) and librarians (29%).
Copyright owners have until 4th September to opt out or object to the deal. But PW found that roughly a third (32%) said they would take no action while 29% said they haven't yet decided if they would participate. In comments, respondents suggested that their individual books had so little value to them they couldn't be bothered to engage with a 300-page legal document or to fill out a simple form.
PW concluded: "For us, the survey highlights a fundamental question: for all the good and bad scenarios raised by the deal, was it ever reasonable to think that such a revolutionary, unprecedented pact, negotiated in secret over three years by people with loose claims of representation, concerning a wide range of stakeholders, both foreign and domestic, involving murky issues of copyright and the rapidly unfolding digital future, could be pushed through as a class action settlement within a period of months, in the teeth of a historic media industry transition?"
PW distributed a 12-question survey to readers of it e-newsletters. It closed the survey on 6th August.