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Google in copyright hot water in Belgium
Arrêtez!

By Reuters

Published: Monday 18 September 2006

A Belgian court has ordered Google to stop reproducing articles from French-speaking newspapers in the news section of one of its Belgian websites, a local press organisation has said.

The complaint against the search behemoth was lodged by Copiepresse, an organisation that manages copyright for the Belgian French- and German-speaking press.

The court's ruling, which was issued on 5 September, stipulates Google must pay a fine of €1m daily if it does not comply on Monday, Copiepresse general secretary Margaret Boribon said.

Links and summaries of articles in Belgian newspapers such as La Derniere Heure, La Libre Belgique or Le Soir were still visible on Google's Belgian website on Monday morning.

Confirming reports in Belgian media, Boribon told Reuters: "We are asking for Google to pay and seek our authorisation to use our content... Google sells advertising and makes money on our content."

She said she was in the process of informing her European counterparts of the results of the court action and it was possible that similar actions could be taken elsewhere in Europe.

Lawyers in Brussels representing Google in the case were not immediately available for comment.