By Robert Darnton (From The New York Review of Books, Volume 56, Number 20, 17 December 2009)

"Google has by now digitized some ten million books. On what terms will it make those texts available to readers? That is the question before Judge Chin. If he construes the case narrowly, according to precedents in class-action suits, he could conclude that none of the parties had been slighted. That decision would remove all obstacles to Google's attempt to transform its digitizing of texts into the largest library and book-selling business the world has ever known. If Judge Chin were to take a broad view of the case, the settlement could be modified in ways that would protect the public against potential abuses of Google's monopolistic power".

Some previous sources -- Darnton on GoogleBooks

• "GoogleBooks, the Settlement", FYI France EXTRA, September 8, 2009
• "Google & Books: An Exchange", By Paul N. Courant, Ann Kjellberg, J. D. McClatchy, Edward Mendelson, Margo Viscusi, Tappan Wilder et al. In response to "Google & the Future of Books" NYRB, Volume 56, Number 5, March 26, 2009
• "FYI France: Darnton redux, on ebooks & digital libraries &, now, The Google Settlement", March 15, 2009
• "Google & the Future of Books", By Robert Darnton NYRB, Volume 56, Number 2, February 12, 2009 | "La bibliothèque universelle, de Voltaire à Google", February 12, 2009
• "Darnton on digital libraries", FYI France, July 15, 2008
• "Interview: Robert Darnton", in Harvard University Library Notes (July 2007) No. 1338