German Minister Threatens Legal Action to Fight Google

By Siobhan O’Leary

Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, FDP

German Federal Minister of Justice Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger recently spoke out against Google in an interview with Der Spiegel, and her criticism was not limited to Google Books. She stated that its services like Google Earth and Google Street View should undergo a legal review and that Google should be much more transparent in its approach to gathering data. She added that she sees Google developing into a giant Microsoft-like monopoly and concluded that legal measures would be warranted if the situation does not improve soon.

About the Author

Siobhan O'Leary

Siobhan O’Leary is a literary agent, translator and writer based in Berlin. She previously worked in the Foreign Rights department of the Crown Publishing Group (Random House) and at the publishing consulting firm Market Partners International.