Brussels, 03/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - In a letter to journalists' associations around the world, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called on all journalists who have had their books scanned by Google through its Google Book Search to claim their rights to payment under a settlement in which Google has agreed to compensate authors whose rights have been violated. A dispute over Google scanning millions of books led to a class action launched by United States authors and publishers' groups for violation of US copyright law. The action resulted in a settlement which was challenged in front of a US tribunal and a new settlement will be proposed on 9 November (see EUROPE 9976). Google agreed to pay US$ 60 for any fully copied work, “an amount significantly less than the minimum statutory damages of US $750 in the US,” explains the IFJ, which urges writers to claim their rights. "Journalists who wrote books or chapters that have been scanned by Google without their permission have the right to claim their authors' rights", says Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary, "and they should do so immediately. The Google settlement still contains provisions that could severely affect journalists' rights, including what they are paid and their moral rights. We need to follow what's going on, demand our rights and remain prudent." (I.L./transl.fl)