e deal this week.

"It is unfair to authors, publishers and others whose works would be the subject of a compulsory licence for the life of the copyright in favour of Google and the newly created Book Rights Registry," it stated.

'Fact, not fiction'

The settlement is being examined by the Department of Justice which is also deciding whether to oppose the agreement.

Meanwhile the Federal Trades Commission has told Google to develop a privacy policy to limit use of users' data.

Google has responded by drawing up a new privacy policy covering its digital library, which to date includes 10 million books.

"We'll work to ensure that the privacy of online readers is fact, not fiction," said FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz.

Many believe the issue of rights over out-of-print books would best be solved by legislation and not the courts.

"It is never a good thing for private parties to make deals for the public good," said Martin Manley, the founder of Alibris.com, an online store which sells used, rare and out-of-print books.

"The public good is meant to be solved by regulators who are somewhat accountable and by legislators who are wholly accountable," Mr Manley told BBC News.

A final court hearing on the settlement is planned for 7 October.

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