SAN FRANCISCO - Three of Google's largest rivals are joining a coalition to oppose a legal settlement that would give the Internet search leader digital rights to millions of copyrighted books.

Microsoft, Yahoo and Amazon.com are all part of a group being called the Open Book Alliance. It's being put together by the Internet Archive, a longtime critic of Google's digital book crusade.

Peter Brantley, an Internet Archive executive, disclosed the plans to forge the alliance in a Thursday interview.

Google contends its rivals' objections are rooted in a fear of more competition in the digital book market.

The class-action settlement that would expand Google's digital library is scheduled to be reviewed in an Oct. 7 court hearing.