We all know that the Europeans don't like big American Internet and computer companies -- just ask Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT). In addition to France having quite a pickle with the Google Books project, the Belgians have gotten in on the action recently as well. A Belgian court has just recently ordered Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) to stop publishing the content of Belgian newspapers without permission and/or fees from the various Belgian sources. Again, the media and courts just don't get it -- Google doesn't publish a thing. Google News, for example, simply aggregates existing content into one centralized area. Courts are not too bright if they can't see the simple difference here.
Regardless, Google snapped back at the Belgian court system be refusing to post a copy of the court order and all accompanying text on its website, calling that requirement "unnecessary" and "disproportionate." I have to agree with Google on this one. Where is the law that states Google (or anyone) must publicly post court decisions on its website in any form? There isn't an international treaty that I know of requiring this -- is there?
What European governments continue to not understand here is that Google -- most likely -- is helping drive awareness and traffic to news websites by making content easy to find at its news aggregation site at news.google.com. I'm quite sure most Belgian news websites would not have a global audience if customers did not find aggregated content at Google News (which feature short news excerpts only) -- then visited the website to read the "full story". Google then becomes the marketer for that newspaper at zero expense. The Belgian government must be living in a state of perpetual reverse these days.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-21-2006 @ 3:52PM
Andy said...
This is just initial resistance to change. Google has been successful with handling law suits. I think as time goes by and Google becomes a stronger and stronger force that many of these companies that are now suing Google will find that they need them.
9-21-2006 @ 5:11PM
Brenda Veach said...
Interesting....human nature does not change....vanity, vanity, vanity; although, i agree with posted comment of Andy's in that ".....many of these companies that are now sueing Google will find that they need them".