[LINK] 'Google has started to host agency news on its website'

[Roger Clarke]

[Secondly, I'd missed this too]

Google Hosts Agency News Rather than Directing Visitors to News Sites
http://www.hostsearch.com/news/google_news_6307.asp

September 3, 2007 - (HOSTSEARCH.COM) - A flurry of reports over the 
last few days have suggested that Google has started to host agency 
news on its website rather than directing visitors to news sites.

The news Google is hosting is provided by the Canadian Press (CP), 
the Press Association in the United Kingdom, the Associated Press 
(AP) in the USA, and Agence France Presse (AFP).

Reports suggest Google has bought the rights to display each agency's 
news, although terms of the agreement were undisclosed. Some analysts 
suggest the move is a result of certain agencies threatening action 
against Google for infringement of copyright.

Although Google visitors looking for news will be given the option to 
visit external sources to read a news item, the fact that Google 
visitors will be able to read the item without leaving Google could 
have significant consequences for a number of websites whose content 
contains agency news. Sites might well experience a drop in the 
number of visitors they receive and in turn, might not be able to 
generate the same levels of advertising revenue. It would also seem 
likely though that less news agency licenses will be bought in future.

Eric Morrison, the President of CP, suggested in an item posted on 
the new Google news sub-domain, http://canadianpress.google.com/ that 
the outcome of the move is still unknown. "People will have to wait 
and see.

The interesting thing for me is that now Google is actually paying 
for aggregating content from other providers." Mr. Morrison went on 
to suggest that the fees Google were paying would help maintain the 
quality of CP.

Google suggested that it is not changing its approach to allowing 
visitors to find news items, and materials provided by agencies will 
not be given priority in searches.

comScore Media Metrix suggests that Google's news options are lagging 
behind competitors. In July 2007, Google News had 9.6 million 
visitors, Yahoo News 33.8 million visitors, MSNBC 24.5 million, AOL 
News 23.9 million and CNN 22.5 million.


-- 
Roger Clarke                  http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/
			            
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mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng  Australian National University
Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program      University of Hong Kong
Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW