Remarking how exciting it was to be a journalist today thanks to a myriad of innovations in news production, Neil added that web-based companies needed to respect copyright law. He pointed out that along with the purchase of YouTube, Google was handed heavy pressure from broadcasters: many users post content produced by television companies without their permission.

But now that Google and its billions are behind YouTube, a video sharing site that echoes the search engine's rapid rise to domination, many publishers have demanded the removal of their material: and Google seems eager to comply. Neil wants to see more agreements of a similar nature to stop Google and other search engines from "growing rich at the expense of newspapers."

In fact, Google is cutting deals with traditional newspaper publishers, but not over content. 50 of the US' biggest papers including the New York Times and the Washington Post have signed up for a three-month experiment with Google Print Ads. If successful, the system which allows advertisers to bid on the paper and days in which they would like to advertise, could change the entire way that newspapers handle ads.

Newspapers are hoping that Google Print Ads will ad new sources of revenue. But will it make up for the copyright chip on the shoulder?

Sources: The Herald, BusinessWeek, Earth Times