RendabFeb 14th, 2007 - 16:32:58

Just one more minor bump in the road towards the flattening out of the world...

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what good is the web then?Feb 14th, 2007 - 16:42:44

Screw Belgium, the only thing they have that any good is there beer. What good is a news site if it can't pull the news from another site. Google gives them the credit. Just another company and country trying to get some money.

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JasonFeb 14th, 2007 - 16:55:13

This is absurd and pointless. There have been numerous times that I have clicked an article on Google News and been routed to the webpage of... I think it was the New York Post, which said that I had to log in to view the article. The capability of puting the toll booth between Google and the article is there, the Belgians have simply not executed and are trying to make Google pay for their own lack of preparation.

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andrewFeb 14th, 2007 - 16:57:03

The fact is. The only reason im on this website now reading this story is because google linked me to it, otherwise i would never have heard of this site. just the belgians moaning over nothing as usual

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mattFeb 14th, 2007 - 20:32:54

Well, I wouldn't say the only good thing Belgium has is good beer. Their chocolate is pretty good too.

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DerekFeb 14th, 2007 - 22:33:31

This is merely a cash grab at Google, and in essence they are biting the hand that feeds them...

On the web, if you offer a paid service on your website, the most valuable resource is traffic -- something which Google is providing to these news sites for free.

I don't know what these newspapers are bitching about, because Google does not cache entire news articles -- only a very brief summary, which is generally allowable, and without which nobody would have reason to click on the link to find out more.

People don't read their news on Google News... they only find headlines and links there.

Anyone who doesn't want Google sending free traffic to their website should disable search engine indexing using the robots exclusion standard (robots.txt) or use the NOINDEX html tag.

If you aren't adhering to proper and long established Internet standards and protocols, then you have no business having a website in the first place, and certainly have no grounds for legal action.

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duditzFeb 15th, 2007 - 00:42:12

if google pays the 4.7 mil to belgium for listing the sites, belgium needs to pay equivalent to all revenue generated from google backlinks in their news section

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MarilynFeb 15th, 2007 - 01:47:19

It seems like more of a money grab than anything to me. Google offers a great service. This particular newspaper should be thankful rather than resentful for the business Google has generated in their direction. News is news. Newspapers cannot control newspapers being left behind in restaurants and then being read by other patrons nor can Google be expected to fully police its links from past articles. Technology can be wonderful embrace it or go back to the printed media and stay off the fast track.

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TonyFeb 15th, 2007 - 02:23:43

do you getting the feeling that the Belgians are shooting themselves in the foot. well it's their foot. They come back when the pain gets excruciating.

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Nadeem WalayatFeb 15th, 2007 - 07:49:49

Belgium is drunk on European Union Bureaucracy , they think they are the bees knees and so superior because Europe wastes tens of billions of euros on the waste of space called Belgium !

This is typical of a country that has its head stuck up its arse !

Google should ban all Belgium websites from its indexes. There worthless content is not worth the attention.

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Not Particularly Fond Of Belgium BUT...Feb 15th, 2007 - 09:55:04

Y'know, I completely agrees with most of the points raised, Google does send alot of otherwise non-existant traffic and are clearly not trying to steal anyones copy.. I just think internetters are WAY to quick to dish out the hate.

I mean, is it your revenue? How are you so band-wagon oriented when u probably don't have any Google stock or work in the copyright-regulation business?

Calm down, and just read the story..

Its got nothing to do with Belgium (or France in any of the other Franco-phobe articles that regularly appear in US-focused news articles) its got to do with 2 businesses fighting over A LOT of money.. thats it. No Belgians, just Corporations.

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I. RonyFeb 15th, 2007 - 20:19:28

I came here via Google News.

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EurostupidityFeb 15th, 2007 - 21:02:17

All other Newspapers have found that the increase in clicks to their sites was actually a benefit.
These people haven't a clue.

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