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60M Euro Smooths Relations Between Google and French Publishers

Posted by timothy on from the throwing-money-at-the-problem dept.

New submitter Flozzin writes with news of some resolution to the long-standing dispute that some French publishers have had with Google for republishing snippets of news reports without sharing revenue earned from the ads run alongside. Now, reports the BBC, "Google has agreed to create a 60m euro ($82m; £52m) fund to help French media organisations improve their internet operations. It follows two months of negotiations after local news sites had demanded payment for the privilege of letting the search giant display their links. The French government had threatened to tax the revenue Google made from posting ads alongside the results."

5 of 61 comments (clear)

  1. Gutless. by jcr · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Google should have just told them "you don't want us showing your links? Ok, have it your way", and dropped them into oblivion.

    -jcr

    --
    The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
    1. Re:Gutless. by Frankie70 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Google should have just told them "you don't want us showing your links? Ok, have it your way", and dropped them into oblivion.

      Fact that Google didn't shows that Google needs them more than they need Google.

    2. Re:Gutless. by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Actually, I'm surprised that the French are not insulted by the move. Google is not admitting any guilt about "stealing content". Google is saying that French media companies need "development aid", like a Internet Third World country. In other words, Google is not the problem, the French media organizations are, because they have yet to understand this newfangled Internet thingie.

      So I wonder where this money will actually be spent . . . ? First a few big lavish kick-off parties for the heads of the media companies and politicians. Then, fund a few big studies at French research institutes, like INRIA.

      Poof! That 60 € million is gone, and nobody is the wiser.

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      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
  2. Re:Was it just links? by Joce640k · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I get the feeling Google paid this because the revenue from the adverts was more than 60m...not because the newspapers "won" in court.

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  3. Face-saving trifle by ConfusedVorlon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Seems to me that the newspapers didn't have a leg to stand on, and Google gave them a face-saving concession to let everyone walk away with their heads held high.

    Google doesn't really care about the $60m, it's a fairly small sum, doesn't set a terrible precedent, and saves them the time and effort of fighting this battle.

    Meanwhile, the government has achieved a concession and can walk away without an embarrassing loss of face.

    Finally, the newspapers can opt out of google news using their robots.txt if they want to (as they always could).

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