Google Books: Gallimard, Flammarion and Albin Michel resumed negotiations

Google is more sued for infringement by five large publishers, back to the negotiating table.

August had been marked by the change in attitude of two publishing houses vis-à-vis in Google Books, Hachette, and La Martinière which were favourable to a reopening of negotiations. These houses are now joined by three other big names, namely, Gallimard, Flammarion and Albin Michel, who renounce their suits against Google Books in respect of infringement for "wild" of thousands of books digitisation. It is the LivresHebdo.fr site which tells us this strategic shift, recalling that these publishing houses were claiming in Google not months of 9.8 million euros in damages and interest.

Brice Amor, legal Director, Gallimard, told AFP following these revelations: "the negotiations will now resume again where they had been suspended by Google when we had assigned him to justice". These three publishing houses have therefore responded favourably to the message by the head of Google books France, Philippe Colombet, who declared the month last will "continue to interact with the actors of Culture, to make available to users the huge French cultural heritage".