It’s been pretty grey whether the judge presiding over the settlement of the Google Book Search settlement would have any compelling interest in the potential virtual monopoly that Google would be granted over electronic rights to orphan works, but now the Justice Department has opened an inquiry. The NYT says Justice notified the parties to the settlement “that they were investigating various antitrust issues related to the far-reaching agreement.” The paper adds, “The inquiry does not necessarily mean that the department will oppose the settlement, which is subject to a court review. But it suggests that some of the concerns […]
