Ruling Backs Google Scans

Federal judge Harold Baer last week ruled against the Authors Guild in its HathiTrust lawsuit. In granting the HathiTrust’s motion for summary judgment, Baer ruled that the scan program, done in cooperation with Google, was a clear fair use under the copyright law.

Leon Black Buys Phaidon

Leon Black, CEO of the private equity firm Apollo Global Management LLC, has acquired Phaidon Press for an undisclosed price. With offices in New York and London, Phaidon is best known for its art books; it does about 60 titles annually and has a 1,900-title backlist.

Mo Yan Wins Nobel

Chinese writer Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Yan’s work was praised by the awarding committee for its “hallucinatory realism.” PW has reviewed five of his novels and said, “If China has a Kafka, it may be Mo Yan.”