The great-sounding Google settlement with the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers, for digitizing millions of copyrighted books on the Internet has met with yet another opposition - this time round from Germany!

The October 2008 settlement is already being scrutinized by the US Justice Department; and has been criticized by European authors and publishers, privacy advocates and others, on the grounds that the deal gives Google broad rights and immunities, thereby giving it an 'unfair' edge over other digital libraries.

With the first quarter exports and investments in Germany nose-diving to their lowest ever, the German economy has reported its biggest retrenchment since reunification. However, a somewhat strong consumer spending slightly eased out the situation for the Europe's largest economy's "deepest slump" on record!

The Federal Statistics Office in Wiesbaden confirmed the preliminary estimates on Tuesday, noting that the country's quarter-over-quarter GDP - gross domestic product - for the January-March quarter shriveled 3.8 percent; while the year-over-year figures shrank 6.7 percent.