INTERNET: News Agency's Lawsuit Tests Fair Use in the Internet Age

[NVMojo]

NEW YORK (AP) - In a case that could set limits on Internet search engines, the French news agency AFP is suing Google Inc. for pulling together photos and story excerpts from thousands of news Web sites.
Agence France-Presse said the "Google News" service infringes on AFP's copyrights by reproducing information from the Web sites of subscribers of the Paris-based news wholesaler.

The issues raised by the case have profound implications for the Internet, where anyone can be a publisher and Web journals, or blogs, are becoming more frequent destinations for seekers of news.

The lawsuit's outcome will likely hinge on whether Google can convince the courts that Google News constitutes permissible "fair use" of copyright material. Legal scholars say Google could argue that it adds value by significantly improving the news-consuming experience without greatly harming AFP's ability to sell its service.

But in seeking at least $17.5 million in damages, AFP says Google adds little because its news site looks much like those of AFP subscribers, albeit one where software and not human editors determine the placement of stories on a page.

more...

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBJAKMEV6E.html

[MetaTrope]

1. Rather a pity

as AFP is the only international news syndicate we get in English...

[kzootalker]

2. REALLY!!!!

AFP is the ONLY completely international outlet that comes in english? This would only isolate our knowledge of the world outside the US...Great!

---I know this post is really obvious, but it's also very important

[oppositionmember]

3. Though I like Google and constantly use Google News

I think its arrangement of news articles from third parties into what is unquestionably an integrated news product probably intrudes on their copyrights even though many of them are quite happy to have Google users flocking to their stories wherever they are.

However, one could argue that once an AFP story has been published in a client newspaper, the agency has concluded its sale, the story is essentially in the public domain and therefore Google is not violating copyright in compiling headlines, summaries and links.

Should be an interesting case - but it's unlikely to restrict the simple act of linking to a news story. Google is doing it on an industrial level and that makes all the difference.