(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar)

The Belgium newspaper group Copiepress sued Google News, considering they should have asked its permission and agreed financial terms when publishing material from their Belgium newspapers. Google lost in the first instance, but also the appeal against the ruling given on 5 September 2006.

Facing a 1 million euro fine per day, Google removed the pages in question but did not answer immediately to the decision of the court asking for the publishing of the full judgment on its site for 5 days, considering that the publicity around the case had made this action "unnecessary". However, in danger of being fined 500 000 euros per day for not publishing the judgment, Google abided to the court's decision on 22 September. The decision can now be found on the Belgium version of the Google website - google.be.

Google lawyers will make a new appeal against the decision of the Belgium court arguing Google News does not infringe the copyright law. The company states: "It is important to remember that we never show more than the headlines and a few snippets of text. If people want to read the entire story they have to click through to the newspapers' website." The company affirmed it would immediately remove an article at its publisher's request. The new appeal will appear in front of the Court in November.

Several media organisations recently announced the intention to introduce the Automated Content Access Protocol (ACAP), a pilot technology for granting permissions on the basis of financial terms. Francisco Pinto Balsemão, chairman of The European Publishers Council (EPC) stated: "ACAP will unambiguously express our preferred rights and terms and conditions. In doing so, it will facilitate greater access to our published content, making it more, not less available, to anyone wishing to use it, while avoiding copyright infringement and protecting search engines from future litigation."

Copyright: Google publishes its condemnation on its Belgium pages (only in French, 23.09.2006)
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/depeches/texte/0,14-0,39-28274393,0.html

Facing Belgium, Google hesitates between resistance and response (only in French, 21.09.2006)
http://www.pcinpact.com/actu/news/31538-google-belgique-presse.htm?ca=...

Google loses Belgian news appeal (22.09.2006)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/22/google_loses_news_appeal/

Google News faces 1m euros fine in Brussels (18.09.2006)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/18/google_news_copyright_belgium/