Publishers, authors and agents breathed a collective sigh of relief to learn that New York judge Denny Chin has granted a four-month extension to authors and other content owners to decide on the merits of the recently negotiated settlement between Google and author and publisher groups.

Andrew Albanese of Publishers Weekly reports that Gail Knight Steinbeck, leading a group of authors upset about the pressure to decide without adequate information, was thrilled. “We now have to time to really sink our teeth into what this agreement will mean,” she said. One of the few parties who are less than delirious is Authors Guild, which was among the original key movers in forcing the settlement. “We’d hoped for a shorter extension of time, since we’re eager to get on to the next phase of the process,” the Guild’s Paul Aiken told Publishers Weekly.

We recently wrote about how the impending deadline was making agents and publishers crazy. “Some more time for everybody to sort out their rights would be welcome,” we urged. Happy to know the stay of execution will be implemented. One way to profitably occupy the extra time you’ve been granted is to study the detailed guideline to the Settlement written by Joy Butler, an entertainment, intellectual property and business law attorney in Washington.

RC