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An end to the long-running argument over the Google Books settlement may be in sight.  A federal judge has asked both sides to return to court and submit a new agreement by November 9th, with the idea of completely wrapping things up a month or two later.

Originally, a Fairness Hearing was supposed to be held today.  But opposition to a proposed settlement mounted - and mounted and mounted, with everybody from the U.S. Copyright Office to some French publishers piling on - until it became obvious that Google and the Authors Guild needed to revisit the agreement.

So Reuters reported this afternoon, "Judge Denny Chin, of Manhattan federal court, said he hoped the parties would file a motion for preliminary approval of the amended deal by Nov. 9 so a hearing could be held in late December or early January for final approval."

What's more, the November 9th target doesn't appear to be a product of wishful thinking, as lawyers have stated they think the goal is achievable.

So hang in there and, whether we wind up with a massive digital library or a ruling that Google's too close to becoming a monopoly, hopefully this mess will be resolved before long.