The Italian antitrust authority said Monday that it had ended an investigation into Google’s Internet news service after the company took steps to ease newspaper publishers’ concerns about control over their content and the sharing of advertising revenue.The Italian Federation of Newspaper Publishers complained to the regulator in 2009 about Google News, contending that its members were unable to remove articles from the service without pulling them out of Google’s main search engine, a move that would cost them advertising revenue. While Google News, which publishes blurbs from news articles, provides links to the originating site, publishers say few users bother to click through.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/technology/18iht-google18.htmlAlso see:Italian competition body asks for copyright reform after Google settlement
Italy’s competition regulator has asked the Italian parliament to reform copyright law after accepting Google’s settlement of a dispute with newspapers. It does not have the power to solve the problem of the exploitation of newspaper content, it said.The Italian Federation of Newspaper Editors had complained in 2009 that if newspapers refused to have their content appear in Google News it would also disappear from Google’s search engine, which could affect the amount of web traffic they received.
http://out-law.com/page-11724
A Google Worry Recedes, for Now, as Italy Ends Investigation Into News Service
The Italian antitrust authority said Monday that it had ended an investigation into Google’s Internet news service after the company took steps to ease newspaper publishers’ concerns about control over their content and the sharing of advertising revenue.