Judge Denny Chin yesterday put an end to an attempt by the American Society of Media Photographers and other photographers' organizations to intervene in the Google Books case when he denied the photographers' motion for reconsideration.

 

The plaintiff class in the Google Books lawsuit only encompasses copyright holders in textual materials, not photographs.  Four years after the lawsuit was filed, the photographers made a late-hour attempt to enter into settlement negotiations by intervening in the case.  Judge Chin would have none of it.  In the order denying reconsideration, he stated that the prospective class settlement, which is to be submitted to the court for approval by November 9, "represents thousands of hours of discussion, compromise, and legal draftsmanship.  Yet, the movants propose to intrude at the very end of this long process, and to add the question of millions of pictoral materials to the question.  Intervention could destroy the parties' settlement and send them back to the drawing board."