Microsoft is contributing $50,000 to help challenge the Google Book Search lawsuit settlement that was announced last October.

According to reports in MediaPost and Wired.com, the Microsoft money will help New York Law School with four projects — including a friend-of-the-court brief asking that the settlement be delayed until federal antitrust officials can give opinions on the matter.

Microsoft attorney Tom Rubin told Wired that the company’s contribution is no different from previous academic grants Microsoft has made before: “We are funding this like we fund dozens of law projects.”

May 5 is the deadline for authors to opt-out of the settlement and for other parties to file objections. The final court hearing on the book settlement is scheduled for June 11; the judge has already given his tentative approval.

Related Topics: Google: Book Search | Google: Legal | Legal: Copyright

About The Author: Matt McGee is Search Engine Land's Executive News Editor, responsible for overseeing our daily news coverage. His news career includes time spent in TV, radio, and print journalism. His web career continues to include a small number of SEO and social media consulting clients, as well as regular speaking engagements at marketing events around the U.S. He blogs at Small Business Search Marketing and can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee and/or on Google Plus. See more articles by Matt McGee

Connect with the author via: Email | Twitter | Google+ | LinkedIn