Web 2.0 as a metaphor for 'rip-off'
In one of those delicious ironies that history occasionally dishes up, quasi-socialist Europe turns out to be leagues ahead of the capitalist United States when it comes to protecting intellectual property on the Internet.
Pardonnez-moi? Yes, you read it right the first time. A European court last month agreed with a group of regional publishers in Belgium that accused Google of ripping off their content. The court ordered Google to remove text summaries of the newspapers' articles, along with Web links to the publishers' sites.
Not very much was made of the decision on this side of the pond. Investors shrugged off the news and continued to send Google's stock ever higher. Google subsequently cried foul and said it would challenge the ruling. No surprise there.
There's a fine line between fair use and infringement, and U.S. courts have chosen not to erect impediments against creating something like Google News.
Should they?
Interesting idea--but we're not even close to having that conversation in this country. The European court struck at the heart of the Web 2.0 assumption that it's perfectly all right to profit from another company's content without permission and without payment. Google's acquisition of YouTube makes this more than an academic question. The deal puts an urgent onus on Google management to block the uploading of copyrighted material on the video-sharing service. Otherwise, the lawsuits are going to start flying.
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Source - CNET News.com
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