Blog Spam from Google?

I’m sure they must have done this before, but I’ve never heard of it. Since I mentioned Google’s settlement of their class action suits and wrote abouta quote from Google co-founder Sergey Brin, I must have been scooped up by google’s self-googling because I got the e-mail below today.

Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:56:16 -0600
From: "Dolan, Nancy"
To: "Huddleston, Brian"
Subject: Google Book Settlement Information

Thank you for your blog post about the Google Book Search settlement
(http://brianhuddleston.blogspot.com/2009/01/big-duh-quote-from-sergey-brin.html). The process of notifying authors and publishers about the settlement has begun. If you would like to update your readers with the court-approved Notice, which summarizes the settlement, important terms, claims process,
and key dates, it is available at http://www.googlebooksettlement.com/notice.html. Rightsholders may now claim their works at http://www.googlebooksettlement.com.

Thank you again for your previous post about the settlement, and please feel free to contact me if you need any additional information to help with future entries. If you do post this information for your readers, we would very much appreciate a quick email letting us know that you've done so. Thanks very much.

Nancy Dolan
Project Manager
Kinsella/Novak Communications, LLC (court-approved Notice Provider)
XXXXXXX@kinsella-novak.com

My “readers”? You would think they would cross-reference the blogs that mentioned the settlement and only e-mail blogs that, uh, actually HAVE readers.

And what is “Kinsella/Novak”? I thought they would be the law firm that represented Google in the settlement but, no, they are a “nationally recognized legal notification firm specializing in media-based class action and bankruptcy notification programs.” The heading on their web site trumpets “The Art & Science of Legal Notification”. There are firms that just do legal notification work? The web site goes on to say that they have:

developed and directed some of the largest and most complex national and international notification programs in the legal arena. The scope of the firm’s work includes notification programs in antitrust, bankruptcy, consumer fraud, mass tort and product liability litigation. Specific cases have involved, among others, asbestos, breast implants, home siding and roofing products, infant formula, pharmaceuticals, polybutylene plumbing, tobacco, and Holocaust claims. The firm has developed or consulted on over 500 notification programs, placing over $205 million in media notice.

So they place ads and spam bloggers? I’m sure their parents are very proud of them. Must be great small talk at parties. “What do you do?” “I work for one of the country’s leading legal notification firms.” Zzzzzzzzz......