Sony Electronics has decided to fully support Google in a controversial copyright lawsuit settlement that would allow the search giant to build a unified system for managing the availability of books and publications over the internet.

Major players Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo have opposed the settlement against Google’s planned Google Book Search program, on grounds that it would monopolize published intellectual property, and endanger reader privacy. The U.S. Department of Justice is also looking into the settlement, speculating on the setting of royalties for subscriptions to Google’s eventual archive.

Other companies have also expressed their distaste, arguing that the settlement would give Google authoritative power and rights that no other company or individual can get without mashing into Google’s territory.

However, Sony apparently sees a significant benefit for its e-book reader if Google’s settlement succeeds, according to a statement that they filed to a court last Wednesday.

One of the products the company markets and sells is the “Reader,” a family of electronic book or “e-book” readers that allow users to download and read electronic copies of books on a hand-held device. In Sony Electronics’ view, the cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship the Settlement forges between Google and the copyright holders in the proposed class may have a profoundly positive impact on the market for e-book readers and related devices. For this reason, Sony Electronics believes the Settlement should be approved.

The settlement is scheduled to have its final hearing in early October.

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