Newspaper, Magazine and Book Publishers Organizations to Address Search Engine Practices

[Ann Okerson <ann.okerson@yale.edu>]

Thanks to Teresa Hackett of eIFL for this item.

Paris, 31 January 2006
For immediate release

Newspaper, Magazine and Book Publishers Organizations to Address Search
Engine Practices

The newspaper, magazine and book publishing industries have come 
together to explore ways to challenge the exploitation of content 
by search engines without fair compensation to copyright owners.

A task force of global and European publishers organizations, led 
by the World Association of Newspapers, has agreed to work 
together to examine the options open to publishers to assert 
their rights to recognition and recompense, and to ultimately 
improve the relationships between content creators/producers and 
news aggregators and search engines.

The group will examine whether new standards and policies can be 
drafted to formalize the commercial relationship between 
publishers and the search engines and content aggregators, which 
provide a valuable service to publishers in terms of traffic 
generation but have built their business models in large part on 
taking content for free.

The group will also explore the options open to newspaper, book 
and magazine publishers, including collective action, either at a 
national or international level, together with questions 
regarding copyright enforcement and brand infringement.

As one of its first steps, the group will be seeking meetings 
with Mr. Charlie McCreevy, European Union Commissioner for the 
Internal Market and Services, and Ms. Viviane Reding, the 
Commissioner for Information Society and Media.

"The search engines are increasingly aiming their strategic 
efforts at traditional content originators and aggregators like 
newspaper publishers. The irony is that these search engines 
exist, largely, because of the traditional news and content 
aggregators and profit at their expense", said Gavin O'Reilly, 
the WAN President, who is chairing the task force.

Mr O'Reilly, who calls the process the 'Napsterisation' of 
content (after the conflict between the Napster search engine and 
the music industry), added: "Google, Yahoo and other search 
engines are not some new breed of social benefactors of 
information - they are assuredly commercial, very-much-for-profit 
organizations and not the new Robin Hoods. WAN is also extremely 
concerned about the behaviour of several major search engines 
when faced with the censorship demands of repressive regimes.

The first meeting of the task force included representatives of 
the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and its division for 
senior news executives, the World Editors Forum, (WEF), 
International Publishers Association (IPA), the International 
Federation of the Periodical Press (FIPP), the European 
Federation of Magazine Publishers (ENPA), the European Publishers 
Council (EPC), the European Magazine Publishers Association 
(FAEP) and SPMI (French association for magazine publishers), 
Agence France-Presse (AFP), the association of French national 
newspapers, SPP, and the French regional daily newspaper 
association, SPQR.

The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper 
industry, represents 18,000 newspapers; its membership includes 
73 national newspaper associations, newspapers and newspaper 
executives in 102 countries, 11 news agencies and nine regional 
and world-wide press groups.

Inquiries to: Larry Kilman, Director of Communications, WAN, 7 
rue Geoffroy St Hilaire, 75005 Paris France. Tel: +33 1 47 42 85 
00. Fax: +33 1 47 42 49 48. Mobile: +33 6 10 28 97 36. E-mail: 
lkilman@wan.asso.fr

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