Google takes an axe to Belgian foes

Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00 Monday, 18 July 2011 20:28

Google has been swinging its big dick again. This time, against Belgian newspapers who had the audacity to challenge Google through the courts over copyright issues. The Copiepresse consortium in Belgium filed suit in 2006 and won. Or at least they won in court. It's possible to argue that victory is now coming back to bite them on the ass.

Under threat of a €25,000 fine for each infringement, Google removed all the newspapers' articles from their search results. Now the Copiepresse are crying foul - they only wanted to be removed from results in Google News, not Google Search.

"The news editors do not oppose having their content referenced by the Google search engine, they refuse to have their informational content included in Google News," explained La Libre, one of the newspapers of the consortium.

"Doubtless, out of spite for having been convicted, Google has taken the opportunity to de-reference without notice all French-language [Belgian] newspapers on its search engine on the pretext that a new agreement was necessary."

On the one hand, it sounds like a lot of whining from the consortium. Either they want to be in or out. Google is not a public service. It's a private company and can let in and block whom it pleases. So stop whining. Who said Google has to let newspapers in on its search results if they do not want to be linked to by Google News?

On the other hand, the move by Google displays the company motto 'Do no Evil' is just another goody-goody marketing phrase. Google can take revenge just like everybody else. Just ask newspapers in Belgium.