DOJ questions Google's online library

The Justice Department has opened an inquiry into an agreement that gives Google exclusive rights to publish millions of books online. The New York Times reports:

The inquiry does not necessarily mean that the department will oppose the settlement, which is subject to a court review. But it suggests that some of the concerns raised by critics, who say the settlement would unfairly give Google an exclusive license to profit from millions of books, have resonated with the Justice Department.

For sale: Texas (shipping not included)

Why secede when you can sell - and help pay down the national debt in the process)? Before Gov. Rick Perry can make do on his threat to unhitch Texas from the Union, an alert eBayer has opened a bidding war for the Lone Star State - all 268,820 square miles of it. (h/t TPM)

*Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight says Democrats should take a second look at Perry's secession idea. Among the considerations: A filibuster proof majority in the Senate.

AP wants to be asked (and paid)

The Associated Press says it will take legal action to block websites from using the work of AP or its member papers without first obtaining permission. From the New York Times:

Associated Press executives said the policy was aimed at major search engines like Google, Yahoo and their competitors, and also at news aggregators like the Huffington Post, as well as companies that sell packaged news services. They said they do not want to stop the appearance of articles around the Web, but to exercise some control over it and to profit from it. The A.P. also said it is developing a system to track news articles online and determine whether they were used legally.

-snip-

“The A.P. is trying to assert its value to the member newspapers,” by shifting the industry discussion “from fair use to fair share,” said Ken Doctor, an analyst at Outsell, a media research firm.