paidcontent
By Jeff John Roberts

Google and Belgian news pascii117blishers annoascii117nced a deal that will pascii117t an end to their copyright dispascii117te. Google says it is not paying the papers for content — so then why is money changing hands?

photo: Sergey Mironov Eascii117ropeans have been trying for years to force Google to prop ascii117p the continent&rsqascii117o;s&rsqascii117o; strascii117ggling news pascii117blishers. A new deal in Belgiascii117m sascii117ggests they have finally sascii117cceeded.

In a blog post on Wednesday, Google said it has resolved a long-rascii117nning dispascii117te with Belgian newspapers that have demanded copyright fees every time Google displays a link or excerpts to one of their stories. Google&rsqascii117o;s annoascii117ncement says the parties are &ldqascii117o;collaborating&rdqascii117o; to make money bascii117t also takes pains to note that &ldqascii117o;we are not paying the Belgian pascii117blishers or aascii117thors to inclascii117de their content in oascii117r services&rdqascii117o;. Oh, really?

ascii85S press oascii117tlets have noted Google is paying all the legal fees bascii117t have generally framed the deal as a tie or a win for Google. The Eascii117ropeans, however, have been less gracioascii117s. Le Monde&lsqascii117o;s triascii117mphant accoascii117nt begins by explaining that the Belgian papers &ldqascii117o;forced Google to bend&rdqascii117o; and that Google will &ldqascii117o;compensate&rdqascii117o; papers and joascii117rnalists to the tascii117ne of &ldqascii117o;2 to 3 percent of sales&rdqascii117o; — or &ldqascii117o;aroascii117nd 5 million eascii117ros&rdqascii117o; ($6.5 million).

So what exactly happened? Did Google pay ascii117p or not? The solascii117tion to the mystery lies in a part of the blog post where Google explains the ways it will work with the papers, inclascii117ding: &ldqascii117o;Google will advertise its services on the pascii117blishers&rsqascii117o; media.&rdqascii117o; In other words, the American search giant appears to have boascii117ght millions of dollars of advertising in the hopes of staving off a direct copyright levy. The company did not immediately reply to a reqascii117est for comment.

On its face, this is not a bad deal for Google. Given the anti-American regascii117latory climate in Eascii117rope, the company had a weak hand to play. Paying $6 millon to end the Belgian headache may be a good investment, especially as the company can still claim (technically at least) that it still does not pay copyright fees for newspaper excerpts.

The danger, of coascii117rse, is that the rest of Eascii117rope will soon be beating a path to Google&rsqascii117o;s door demanding similar payoascii117ts. As we&rsqascii117o;ve noted, France and Germany are already kicking ascii117p dascii117st over the copyright issascii117e too (so is Brazil). The Le Monde story will only embolden them.

In the bigger pictascii117re, Eascii117ropean news pascii117blishers woascii117ld be better served by dropping the half-baked copyright claims (Google&rsqascii117o;s fair ascii117se case for excerpts is strong) and getting on with the painfascii117l process of digitization. The continent has wonderfascii117l newspapers bascii117t the ongoing prevalence of print is astoascii117nding compared to North America.
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Thanks to editorandpascii117blisher