Google News to shut down in Spain

Post by kh_hk » Thu, Dec 11, 2014, 7:23 AM UTC

pmontra wrote: post #139

kh_hk wrote: post #136

"the worse the better", I am happy about this. Articles about this have been going around Spanish news aggregators for a while. Now that there's an official statement from Google, message will finally go around the world showing what kind of stupid laws the Spanish government is passing around with the influence of the powerful copyright lobbies. Now, about the recent Spanish Intellectual Property reform. The particu…

I bet that google.com will still be visible in Spain. Search results include links to copyrighted material: web sites like elpais.com which id © EDICIONES EL PAÍS S.L. and a zillion others all around the world. Is Google removing this'd sites from the index for searches originating from Spain or it will pay the fine? This is to show how unreasonable that law is if it's really as general as it looks.

Post by tempestn » Thu, Dec 11, 2014, 7:26 AM UTC

caiob wrote: post #27

caiob wrote: post #14

Since when Google makes money by putting ads on their sites?

Are we only allowed to say good things about Google in here?

Post by vixen99 » Thu, Dec 11, 2014, 7:29 AM UTC

ddebernardy wrote: post #125

adventured wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an American I watch Europe pretty closely, and I've seen some things that are worrisome such as increasing amounts of fascism (anti-freedom / anti-privacy)... but, things seem to be getting pretty freaky almost everywhere, freedom seems to be on the retreat globally. For Spain, speaking sociologically, how long can an advanced country have 30%-35% real unemployment, before there are severely destabilizing effects…

> As an American I watch Europe pretty closely, and I've seen some things that are worrisome such as increasing amounts of fascism (anti-freedom / anti-privacy)... As a European who watches the US, I hope the irony of your statement has not escaped you. The NSA, the Can-Spam act, the TSA, Guantanamo Bay, how Obama gave a kill order on a US citizen without due process, how the hardline christian right and hardline lib…

Post by yxhuvud » Thu, Dec 11, 2014, 7:38 AM UTC

eru wrote: post #133

dordoka wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It´s actually no overstatement. The law includes a clause specifically to avoid that, stating that paying the tax is an "inalienable right". Of course, as the law reads, it´s more an obligation that a right... As a spanish citizen, I´m equally ashamed and enraged of this old-fashioned, short-sighted and conservative law.

What makes it conservative? The law seems quite disruptive to me.

Post by carlesfe » Thu, Dec 11, 2014, 7:47 AM UTC

  Let's summarize what is happening here:

  Big media editors AEDE, most of which pro-government, in collusion with the 
  corrupt Spanish politicians have managed a masterstroke which they think will:

  1. Get them free money
  2. Destroy the discoverability of smaller media competitors, usually critical 
  with the government
  3. Hinder the future of Spanish internet tech business, their main competitor
  4. Get more exposure, since readers won't have access to media agreggation and 
  will resort to reading just one or two outlets

  In reality, what is likely to happen is:

  1. Google will close Google News Spain, no big problem
  2. Spanish media aggregators will move their business abroad and won't 
  contribute taxes to the country
  3. Tech enterpreneurs will realize that Spain is a shitty country to invest money on
  4. Without Google, the aggregators, and thanks to the increasing 
  user boycott to AEDE media, those editors will lose traffic and money.