The U.S. Justice Department is expected to file court documents that may help determine the fate of a class-action settlement that would give Google the digital rights to millions of out-of-print books.
Friday is the deadline for Justice to share its findings with U.S. District Judge Denny Chin in New York. The agency has been looking into whether the 10-month-old settlement would thwart competition in the rapidly growing digital book market.
The deal already has drawn harsh criticism from opponents worried about the Internet search leader gaining a monopoly. Ardent supporters of the settlement say it will benefit society by making the information in hard-to-find books available to anyone with an Internet connection.