

Google to pay 60 million euros into French media fund - barredo
http://reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSBRE91011Z20130201?irpc=932

======
Terretta
HN Headline: _Google inks deal on payment of French media links (reuters.com)_

Title on Reuters: _Google to pay 60 million euros into French media fund_

Subhead on Reuters: _Google... will not pay them for posting links to their
content._

Article content says publishers had been pushing for payment for links and
snippets, and Google was threatened with legislation to pay for links, but
instead settled on this fund to help the publishers make more money using
Google's advertising technology (kind of like a $60M version of the $100
AdWords leads.)

Troubles me that informative submission titles are so often elided, while ones
suggesting the opposite of the article's intent can be left as is.

------
redthrowaway
Damn it. What the hell happened to the Google who pulled out of China over
censorship? When did they start negotiating with terrorists?

~~~
Afforess
When victory is not certain. Google could risk losing complete access to X
country's content if X's court system rules against Google. Not every country
cares as much about Freedom of Speech as the USA, and aging court justices are
unlikely to understand the nuances of technology.

Google isn't a charity, time to start remembering that.

~~~
mcintyre1994
With all due respect, America doesn't seem any better in regards to technology
than Europe. For example the European commission are rewriting the Data
Protection Act which seems like a great sign.

------
moultano
>No details of the deal were immediately available.

I would wait for the details.

Edit: Here they are: [http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/google-
creates-60m-di...](http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/google-
creates-60m-digital-publishing.html)

~~~
ok_craig
> Google has agreed to create a €60 million Digital Publishing Innovation Fund
> to help support transformative digital publishing initiatives for French
> readers.

While I disagree in principle with Google having to pay at all, this doesn't
seem as bad to me as some kind of revenue share that I was expecting. If it
takes a one-time payment to just get this out of the way, that seems less
evil.

> Second, Google will deepen our partnership with French publishers to help
> increase their online revenues using our advertising technology.

This part worries me though because it's ambiguous.

------
nfriedly
Here's google's take on it: [http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/google-
creates-60m-di...](http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/google-
creates-60m-digital-publishing.html)

(And here's a smoother-loading version:
[https://www.readability.com/articles/q8x2ifi3?legacy_bookmar...](https://www.readability.com/articles/q8x2ifi3?legacy_bookmarklet=1)
)

------
FreeKill
Wow, terrible precedent being set here. Now any France based startup that
wants to take on Google with their own media linking service will be
overwhelmed by fees before they can even get up and running. I really wish
Google hadn't caved to these demands...

~~~
CaveTech
It's not Google's job to protect the rights of other companies. Plus, the way
you phrase it, you're say that you wish Google would have held out to make it
easier for future competitors to upset them.

Sure the outcome sucks, but your comment is actually defending a point
opposite to the one you intend.

------
koenigdavidmj
Why didn't they do the `if you keep asking, then we'll delist you' trick
again?

------
taylorbuley
mes amis, extorquer de Google ce que vous, mais il ne va pas changer votre
modèle d'affaires.

------
yanw
Only in Europe would a cartel of newspapers be aided by the government in
extorting a foreign company without anyone crying foul.

If I were Google I would include a clause demanding positive coverage - seeing
as they are paying for the damn news.

~~~
pilooch
There's more in the balance, Google is facing a huge tax case:
[http://www.france24.com/en/20121121-france-google-
confident-...](http://www.france24.com/en/20121121-france-google-confident-
victory-google-tax-case)

I am far from understanding the details of this, but it involves channeling
money and contracts to Ireland, where taxes are lower. French radio has been
revealing that some of these operations are not fully legal.

~~~
mcintyre1994
At the risk of being wrong, what Google (and others) have been doing in
France, here in the UK etc, is legal - I believe under EU law. The governments
probably can't do much, but some people are a bit annoyed about their
ridiculously low tax contributions. Perhaps they've gone further in France
than they did here though.

