Google deal with Belgian press could mean more cash for newspapers everywhere
A deal reached today between Google and a group of Belgian newspaper publishers and authors could be a boon for publishers worldwide, desperate to get more revenue when their newspaper articles are published online.
Google will work with newspapers
The deal settles a six-year dispute over copyright and could be be a model for resolving similar clashes around the world, said the San Jose Mercury News, in a Reuters report.
Publishers have been trying to get Google to pay them for revealing online content in Web searches as more and more readers head for online media.
Under the Belgian deal, Google will collaborate with the Rossel Group, owners of dailies Le Soir and L'Echo, the IPM Group, which publishes La Libre Belgique, L'Avenir and with authors to help them get revenue from online content.
"We have reached an agreement that ends all litigation. From now on Google and Belgian French-language publishers will partner on a broad range of business initiatives," Google said in a statement.
The two sides will work together to ensure that readers pay via paywalls and subscriptions for news for material accessed on computers, smartphones and tablets.
Exactly HOW is not clear - but Google itself will NOT pay for the content on its services, said Reuters.
The publishers will decide which articles they want to charge for . They will also be able to pull out of Google's Web search and Google News whenever they want.
Google is in similar disputes in other EU countries. Germany has suggested letting publishers charge search engines for displaying newspaper articles.