NEW YORK — Google’s project to digitally copy millions of books for online searches doesn’t violate copyright law, a federal judge ruled Nov. 14, dismissing an 8-year-old lawsuit against the largest search-engine company.

Google Books provides a public benefit and is a fair use of copyrighted material, Judge Denny Chin in Manhattan ruled. The project, which has scanned more than 20 million books so far, doesn’t harm authors or inventors of original works, Chin said.

“Google Books provides significant public benefits,” Chin wrote. “It advances the progress of the arts and sciences, while maintaining respectful consideration for the rights of authors and other creative individuals, and without adversely impacting the rights of copyright holders.” read more »

Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) and 7-Eleven Inc. sued Visa Inc. (V) and MasterCard Inc. (MA) over card fees after rejecting a multibillion-dollar settlement in an antitrust case.

The retailers and about 30 others filed a lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan against the card companies and several major banks. The companies are among more than 7,000 that have dropped out of the $7.25 billion accord over the fees, which are borne by merchants when customers use credit cards.

“Once Visa and MasterCard acquired substantial market power over merchants, they maintained it by forcing merchants to pay even higher interchange fees to continue to fund these price-fixing schemes,” the retailers said in the complaint filed today. read more »