The media fights back

Interesting AP Story today about the Belgian press suing Goggle over publishing and storing the publications content.  They're asking for more than $70 million in reparations.
Without taking a position on this issue it is interesting to note that it is a definite trend.  Google has already lost suits with American newspapers on this issue.  If this trend continues, the only think Google will be good for is finding where your news release ends up, maybe.  The free information on the web may end up being worth its cost.

Comments

  1. John FordMay 28, 2008 at 12:57 AM

    Kind of like the RIAA going after the new paradigm in music distribution? (a.k.a. music piracy)

    If you can't beat 'em, sue 'em...

    JMF

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lou CoveyMay 28, 2008 at 2:23 AM

    Actually, no it's not.
    The music industry has received payment for most of the music it has distributed. The people ripping CDs for the content are not selling that content again, they are giving it away. The music industry wants to be recompensated for the content by people who have no fiscal interest.

    Google, on the other hand, has monetized the information it collects, distributes and stores and, at the same time, attaches advertising to that information. The newspapers have developed that information have done so with shrinking support from the very advertisers that have traditionally supported the free press. Those same advertisers are now paying Google the advertising dollars to support the distribution of information that Google gets for free. So, in essence, they are stealing uncompensated content from the media and getting paid to do so.

    The only content Google should be able to distribute is the material formally offered it for distribution, like marketing brochures, press releases... the stuff the advertisers pay them to distribute. Either that, or they need to compensate the copyright holders for the material they use. That is what the lawsuits are are about.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Loring WirbelMay 28, 2008 at 7:12 AM

    OK, but here's the downside of forcing aggregators to pay for content. In the world you descrive, every time someone links to my blog, they must seek permission. And every time my blog mentions something and links to it, I must seek permission. Google News sends people straight to the source. If they were to replicate large parts of an article from, say, Newsday, they'd be violating copyright, and they damn well better pay for use. But they don't, and everyone mentioned in Google News, like everyone mentioned in a blog or anything else, should be glad for the publicity and glad for the links. I don't like the implications of the alternate model you suggest.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lou CoveyMay 29, 2008 at 4:46 AM

    Loring, that's true, and it means the authors will have to explicitly state that their material is available for aggregation.

    Another possibility is having Google apply the adwords technology and actually pay authors for their content according to hits. That's the way the radio and TV industry has done it for years.

    Google can't expect to make millions off content providers and give no value back for it.

    ReplyDelete

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