France: AFP reaches settlement with Google

Posted by Lindsay Berrigan on April 10, 2007 at 9:46 AM

Agence France-Press (AFP) has settled its 2005 copyright infringement lawsuit against Google and will now allow the search engine to post news and pictures from AFP journalists.

In March 2005 AFP accused Google of posting headlines, news summaries, and photos without permission. With the new deal, Google will be able to use headlines and photos on Google News and other services driving online traffic to sites that display AFP news. As financial details were not disclosed, it is unclear whether Google will pay the AFP for use of content or whether the AFP conceded to end the dispute.

If Google is going to pay, this could be seen as a Google acknowledgement that, though it believes its practices to be legal, they may not yet stand up to traditional media laws. On the other hand, if the settlement was an AFP concession, it could mean a bolstering of Google’s defense that fair use law protects Google News.

Last year, Google began compensating the Associated Press for content after the two signed a licensing deal.

Source: Yahoo News through I Want Media and Network World