[LINK] Google ordered to remove Belgian news from website

[brd at iimetro.com.au]

<brd>
Ironic...

A news/information site "only found out about this lawsuit and the
court's decision almost two weeks after the actual hearing."

</brd>

Google ordered to remove Belgian news from website
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200609/s1744240.htm

A Belgian court has ordered US Internet search giant Google to stop reproducing
articles, photos and graphics from French and German-language Belgian
newspapers on its news site.

Under the judgement handed down on September 5, the Brussels court ruled that
Google must pay a one million euro ($A1.7 million) fine daily if it does not
comply.

The Internet group was liable to pay another half a million euros ($A842,000)
per day if it failed to publish the ruling on its Belgian website -
www.google.be - continuously for five days within 10 days of being notified of
the court's ruling.

The case was brought by Copiepresse, which represents French and German language
papers in Belgium, including Le Soir and Libre Belgique.

"The way in which Google News presently operates causes the publishers of the
daily press to lose control of their websites and their contents," the court
ruled.

A report from an expert witness, submitted in court, said that "the use of
Google News circumvents the advertising of the publishers who get a
considerable amount of their revenue from these advertisements."

It said that "Google News short-circuits many other elements" like references to
copyright protection or the authorisation of the use of data.

Copiepresse secretary general Margaret Boribon said that Google, which was not
present at the court, had "designated a lawyer, who wants to reach an agreement
between the parties".

In a statement, Google said it "only found out about this lawsuit and the
court's decision almost two weeks after the actual hearing."

"As a result we were not able to make our case directly to the judge.

"We are disappointed by the decision, which we believe is flawed and which we
intend to appeal," it said, adding that it had removed the contentious material
from the company's Belgian news site.

-- 
Regards
brd

Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Sydney Australia
brd at iimetro.com.au



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