Google Book Settlement Deadlines - May 5, 2009

For those who have not been following the Google Book Settlement saga, here is a reminder of the key deadlines:

* Claim your Books and Inserts: You can do this at any time, but in order to be eligible for Cash Payments for Books, you must complete your Claim Form on or before January 5, 2010.
* Opt out of the Settlement:Must be submitted online or postmarked on or before May 5, 2009.
* File an objection or notice of intent to appear at the Fairness Hearing: Must be postmarked on or before May 5, 2009.

There's a growing list of discontents that make strange bedfellows - ranging from Microsoft to the Internet Archive to Prof. Pamela Samuelson. Here's a posting with some good links.

Here's the latest from the NY Times, including reference to a request for delay of four months from the heirs of John Steinbeck and Arlo Guthrie.

The Hon. Marybeth Peters, US Register of Copyrights' comments are reported here.

Add to this a Quebec based publisher's lobby group, as advised by a colleague:

ANEL (Quebec's publisher lobby) issued a press release to instruct members not to take part in the Google Book settlement:

Of note, is this passage:
La position de l’ANEL est fort simple : depuis trois ans, les éditeurs de livres sont à pied d’oeuvre pour développer le marché du numérique selon les règles de l’art en matière de droit d’auteur. L’ANEL combat toute réforme de la loi canadienne qui permettrait une exception pédagogique « numérique »