Move comes after negotiations fail to materialize

The Authors Guild has reportedly asked a New York federal court judge to certify the class of authors in a lawsuit against Google. The move is an essential step in transitioning toward a class-action lawsuit, which will push the longstanding dispute back into the courts after the search giant and trade group failed to reach a settlement agreement.

Google had been in talks with both the Authors Guild and Association of American Publishers, as all parties attempted to reach a mutual agreement. The plaintiffs had pointed to progress in the negotiations, even reaching a tentative agreement earlier in the year, however the terms were rejected by the court.

The dispute centers around Google Books, the search giant's book service that scans content and allows users to search within books. The publishing industry objects to Google's use of short snippets from copyrighted works without permission, though users are only able to search for specific terms rather than reading the entire work.

Google is set to oppose the class-certification motion, in an attempt to have the case thrown out of court, according to a Paid Content report.

By Electronista Staff