Sony lines up with Google over Books deal

E-book readers isnt' the only domain where Sony and Amazon are going mano a mano. In a development not unreleated to the Kindle v. Digital Reader battle, Sony is lining up behind Google as a federal judge decides whether the Google Books deal should live or die.

The New York Times reports that Sony has sought permission to file an amicus brief in the case:

“Sony Electronics believes it has a unique perspective on the various ways in which the settlement will foster competition, spur innovation and create efficiencies that will substantially benefit consumers,” Jennifer B. Coplan, a lawyer with Cooley Godward Kronish, wrote in a letter to the court.

David Nimmer (of Nimmer on Copyright, "cited in more court opinions than any other treatise on the subject" crows Lexis), is seeking to file a brief on behalf of Amazon, which as a member of the Open Book Alliance, is presumably against the deal.