German publishers sue Google again
The legal dispute between German publishers and Google over the publication of news articles on the Internet is entering its next phase. As expected, the publishers filed a lawsuit against the U.S. technology company.
This was announced by VG Media - the collecting society for the copyrights and ancillary copyrights of media companies - on Tuesday. The publishers' association justified the move by stating that the US search engine giant does not want to pay for the use of press products, as it has done in the past. "Therefore, a civil action before the competent court is the only way to enforce the press performance protection right against Google," said a VG Media spokesperson to the news agency Reuters. No comment was initially available from the US company. At its core, the dispute revolves around the ancillary copyright that has been in force since August 2013. On the one side are publishers such as Axel Springer, who want to see money for the use of their press texts on the internet. However, search engines such as market leader Google do not want to pay. They argue that the press houses benefit from the Americans in terms of their advertising revenue, as Google & Co redirect internet users to the publishers' sites. In October, a kind of mediation failed, as both parties to the conflict objected to the settlement proposal of the Arbitration Board at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA). The dispute is therefore now continuing in court. Experts expect the legal dispute to last many years. The publishers have already filed another lawsuit against Google, which will be heard in February. This is about whether Google is abusing its market share. (SDA)
