Major educational publishers—Cengage, Macmillan Learning, McGraw Hill, and Elsevier—have filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing it of promoting pirated copies of their textbooks. This case could reshape how tech giants handle copyright infringement and impact the $8.3 billion U.S. textbook market. Advertisers are concerned because the lawsuit questions ad integrity and fair competition, suggesting Google may not be providing a level playing field or ensuring brand safety.
Allegations Against Google
The publishers told the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that Google has ignored thousands of copyright-infringement notices and continues to profit from the sale of pirated digital versions of textbooks advertised through its dominant search engine. Google representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. The publishers' attorney, Matt Oppenheim, stated that Google had become a "thieves' den" for textbook pirates.
Impact on Textbook Market
The complaint highlighted that Google searches for the publishers' work feature heavily discounted, pirated e-book versions at the top of the results. The lawsuit stated, "The artificially low-priced infringing works drown out the regularly priced legitimate works," emphasizing that pirate sellers can offer low prices because they did not create or license the content but merely made illegal digital copies.
Google's Role
According to the lawsuit, Google has exacerbated the piracy issue by restricting ads for licensed e-books. "As a result, the textbook market is upside down, as the world's largest online advertising business advertises ebooks for pirates but rejects ebook ads for legitimate sellers," the lawsuit said.
Legal Actions
The publishers have been complaining to Google about the ads since 2021 with no resolution. They accused Google of copyright and trademark infringement and deceptive trade practices, requesting an unspecified amount of monetary damages. The case is Cengage Learning Inc v. Google LLC, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 1:24-cv-04274.
