Guardian Unlimited Technology | Technology | Google to appeal, as court rules news site is illegal

Copyright protections are always a touchy topic. On one hand the creators of the information deserve to rewarded for their work. On the other hand, too strict of protections limits sharing and reduces the impact.

This is playing out with Google now.

Guardian Unlimited Technology | Technology | Google to appeal, as court rules news site is illegal:

"The case was brought by Copiepress, an organisation that manages copyright for the French and German-speaking Belgian press, including La Derniére Heure, La Libre Belgique and Le Soir.

In its judgment...the court said Google would be liable for a fine of €1m (£675,000) for every day it did not remove the offending content from the recently-launched Belgian site....

While many media groups have welcomed Google News as a means of boosting traffic, others believe they are benefiting the Google brand and boosting its user figures without any recompense.

Last year Agence France-Presse (AFP) sued Google in France over a similar dispute, claiming that it had removed photo credits and copyright notices. Google subsequently removed all of the agency's con"

While the potential damage is quite small now, currently the case is isolated to a few sources from Beligium, but could set a precident that would change the way articles, papers, and pictures are shared.