In recent days the world's largest Internet company has pushed back on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's proposed approaches on journalism in the digital age. In effect Google has told the FTC it is overreacting in the evolution of journalism and its business models.
The FTC staff report, for instance, had proposed restrictions on so-called "hot news" to restrict how much material from one source could be repurposed by others. Google just doesn't agree, nor does it support taxes to strengthen news organizations or proposals that would charge aggregators to carry content.
Rather, Google views the transformation of business models as an event that should not include meddling. It is up to organizations and the market to figure it out, not for government to ride to any rescue of the status quo. It notes that creators can already keep their content from being indexed if they wish, but it also notes that its search engine drives readership and consumption to those sites --- and ultimately, advertising and revenue.
"Maximizing the monetization of online traffic will require innovation and experimentation," it notes in its submission to the FTC.
But: "The ultimate solutions that will result in a new online equilibrium for the news industry cannot, however, be mandated by changes in the regulatory framework on in copyright laws."
The FTC staff report, for instance, had proposed restrictions on so-called "hot news" to restrict how much material from one source could be repurposed by others. Google just doesn't agree, nor does it support taxes to strengthen news organizations or proposals that would charge aggregators to carry content.
Rather, Google views the transformation of business models as an event that should not include meddling. It is up to organizations and the market to figure it out, not for government to ride to any rescue of the status quo. It notes that creators can already keep their content from being indexed if they wish, but it also notes that its search engine drives readership and consumption to those sites --- and ultimately, advertising and revenue.
"Maximizing the monetization of online traffic will require innovation and experimentation," it notes in its submission to the FTC.
But: "The ultimate solutions that will result in a new online equilibrium for the news industry cannot, however, be mandated by changes in the regulatory framework on in copyright laws."
