From The BBC:
US anti-trust regulators are to investigate a 5m (£76.4m) deal Google has made with book publishers to settle copyright issues, reports say.The settlement compensates copyright holders and gives Google a share of online book sales and advertisements. The deal “warrants further inquiry”, US Deputy Assistant Attorney General William Cavanaugh said in a letter filed to the New York District Court. Some fear the deal could make Google the main source for many online books. “The US has reviewed public comments expressing concern that aspects of the settlement agreement may violate the Sherman [Anti-Trust] Act,” Mr Cavanaugh said. “At this preliminary stage, the US has reached no conclusions as to the merits of those concerns or more broadly what impact the settlement may have on competition,” he added. Right to readIn October 2008, Google reached a deal with the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers. The search engine agreed to pay 5m to create a Book Rights R…
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