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Online retailer Amazon.com has no desire to comply with Google's book-scanning related subpoena for information on Amazon's hows and whys of accomplishing it.

Amazon has taken a page from Google's legal defense playbook. An AP report on Fox News cited Amazon's resistance to complying with Google's request:

In a Monday filing, Amazon.com described Google's request, which was made via a subpoena served on Oct. 6, as"overly broad and unduly burdensome" and said it would expose Amazon's trade secrets.

Amazon lawyers also note how Google wants "essentially all documents concerning Amazon's sale of books on its Web sites, and all searching and indexing functions."
Those are similar claims to those Google made when the Department of Justice came calling last summer with subpoenas in hand for Google's index of user search data. Amazon contends Google does not have a "substantial need" for the information it has requested.

Google sent subpoenas to Amazon, Yahoo, and Microsoft in early October. With a combined lawsuit from publishers and authors looming in the courts over Google Book Search, Google wants to show the court how displaying snippets of books are used by other companies.

The information requested also includes book lists, costs, estimated sales, dealings with publishers and possible benefit or harm to copyright owners, per documents Google filed in federal court.

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David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.