Google threatens to stop linking to French media sites

The French government has proposed that Google should pay French media sites (on-line newspapers etc.) for sending traffic towards them.

Google has stated that it will simply stop listing French websites if such a law is passed.

The French government has responded angrily claiming that Google is threatening a democratic government.

Internet giant Google has threatened to stop linking to French media sites to protest against a proposed French law that would force search engines to pay for content, sparking an angry reaction from the Socialist government in return.

A letter sent by Google to several French ministerial offices this month said it "cannot accept" such a move and the company "as a consequence would be required to no longer reference French sites," according to a copy obtained by AFP.

France's new Socialist government, which is open to helping struggling media companies, warned Google that it should not threaten democratic governments.

France24

It strikes me as strange that the French government effectively wants to force Google to pay French media sites for the pleasure of providing them a free service - web traffic directed towards them.

Interestingly, Germany is in the process of passing a similar law at the moment. French and German moves are in response to French and German media websites demanding that Google shares some of its adverting revenue on the grounds that it links to their content without paying for it.

Leading French newspaper publishers last month called on the government to adopt a law imposing a settlement in the long-running dispute with Google, forcing it and other search engines to share some of the advertising revenue from user searches for news contained on media websites.

Their demand follows the German government approving in August draft legislation that would force search engines to pay commissions to German media websites.

France24

Google has pointed out that rather than being forced pay for the pleasure of finding traffic for French media websites, it will merely stop finding traffic for them. The French culture minister has stated that Google is threatening a democratic government.

French Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti told a parliamentary commission this week that she was in favour of the idea, calling it "a tool that it seems important to me to develop".

She said she was surprised by the tone of Google's letter.

"You don't deal with a democratically-elected government with threats," Filippetti told AFP on Thursday.

A media association also criticised Google's attitude, calling it a "complete refusal by the dominant actor on the market ... of all dialogue."

France24

The current Socialist French government does appear to have things back to front. Surely Google should be charging the French media websites for sending traffic to them, not being forced to pay French media websites for providing them with a free service?

To then suggest that Google is threatening a government when it merely points out that it will stop providing a free service if it is forced to pay for providing it, smacks of a a tentative grip upon business reality.

If Germany and France do pass the proposed laws, it will mean that French and German language media sites will lose the little global influence they possess. At the end of the day, French and German on-line newspapers need search engines. Search engines do not need French and German media sites.

does that include porn.

reply to post by ollncasino


F them, it is their business. If Google chooses not to link their search results to their sites because they say they don't want to incur that extra cost, it is their right. The same way they can choose to not link terrorist or child pornography sites. They own their servers and their company. No "democratically" elected government can muscle money.

I swear Europe is gone crazy. They extort their small businesses for money in "royalties" from playing a radio in a hair salon, to charging cafes for having speakers playing music.

They are used to blatant criminal activity.

I am not exactly a fan of Google, but they should stand their ground and just not host their sites when the law goes through. Not even a threat, or a mention. Just one day, they stop.

reply to post by ollncasino

Surely Google should be charging the French media websites for sending traffic to them, not being forced to pay French media websites for providing them with a free service?

Radio stations are giving artists a free service, in the same manner google does for websites, ie; exposure, but they have to pay fees to play the artists music. Google makes money off other peoples content without their permission.

I'm not saying I agree with the French law but they definitely have a case if you compare it with almost every other industry.

How do you think Google got this big? By using other people's content (besides lying about the results, but that's a different story).

A search engine is only fed by other people's work, it produces nothing, and if the laws of a country say that people cannot post information taken from other sites then why search engines can do it without any consequences?

Originally posted by ArMaP

A search engine is only fed by other people's work, it produces nothing, and if the laws of a country say that people cannot post information taken from other sites then why search engines can do it without any consequences?

Google is entirely within its rights to solve this issue by no longer listing links to French media sites on its search engine.

Meh I don't need google to find local content if they would boycot such. It even might spark the growth of smaller search engines. I like the controversy in this. I see good things spinning from this.

thx for bringing this up. I like to read between the lines of this one.

I don't understand a word of French so if Google does decide to "delink" them it wouldn't be a big issue in my life.

Though, I have to side with Google on this one. Mean, they're getting free traffic - why should they receive money for it. It's ludicrous

Think these sites should pay Google.

Originally posted by ArMaP
How do you think Google got this big? By using other people's content (besides lying about the results, but that's a different story).

A search engine is only fed by other people's work, it produces nothing, and if the laws of a country say that people cannot post information taken from other sites then why search engines can do it without any consequences?

oh bs.any amateur webmaster knows how to block google's search bots if they wanted, its their decision if they want a search engine to scrape their content and list it for them for free.

google even tells you how.
support.google.com...

how are they monetizing other peoples content? adsense? you mean, the ads people willingly put on their website (so other people can buy clicks) to monetize the traffic they get from search engines? ooops.. it's not like they put adsense on a website that has no advertising on it.

so, if you make a website and set it up with Search Engine Optimization in mind, does google owe you anything if you willingly set your website up to be compatible with their free service? does that make any sense to you?

also, you can link to other peoples content as long as you provide the source. this website does it all day long. if you get paid to moderate, you're making money off someone else's content somewhere, if you're not, the admins are.

Originally posted by ollncasino
Google is entirely within its rights to solve this issue by no longer listing links to French media sites on its search engine.

It sure is, no problems with that.

Originally posted by christoph
oh bs.any amateur webmaster knows how to block google's search bots if they wanted, its their decision if they want a search engine to scrape their content and list it for them for free.

That's true.