Government files objection to Google book deal

The Department of Justice said in a filing late Thursday that revisions to the proposed legal settlement allowing Google Inc. to publish millions of books online didn't do enough to allay antitrust, copyright and other legal concerns. The landmark deal would allow the Mountain View search titan to move ahead with its ambitious project while establishing a system for identifying and paying appropriate rights holders. But it's drawn objections from library groups, academics, competitors and the Justice Department over privacy issues, the fate of unclaimed works and the amount of control over digital works handed to a single corporation. In response to those objections, the parties agreed to make revisions to the settlement late last year. Among other changes, they limited the case to authors and publishers of works in the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.