David W. Opderbeck

Implications of the Google Books Project Settlement for the Global Library Community

Column Editors Notes The “Digital Trends and the Global Library Community” column examines technological advances internal and external to libraries. The focus is on how technology is changing the way services are provided to users, the methodologies used in the provision of those services, and the resulting scope of responsibilities of libraries and parent institutions. Interested authors are invited to submit proposals and articles to the column editor at marta.deyrup@shu.edu. Please include “IILR Submission” in the subject line of the e-mail. ABSTRACT This article reviews the history of the Google Books project litigation, including the proposed class action settlement that was rejected by a U.S. federal trial court and the subsequent decision by a U.S. federal appellate court that the Google Books project constituted fair use under U.S. Copyright law. The article concludes with some observations about implications of the Google Books litigation for the global library community.