Microsoft bows to the Belgians
C|Net | at | by Mike
Microsoft said on Friday it would remove links to articles in Belgian newspapers rather than be sued for copyright violation like Google was.
Microsoft received a cease and desist letter last week from Copiepresse, which represents French and German-language Belgian newspaper publishers, with complaints similar to a lawsuit the organization filed against Google and won. Copiepresse argues that posting article text violates copyright, even if the text is very short and the accompanying link drives traffic to the publisher Web site.
"Microsoft, however, underlines that these measures do not imply any acknowledgement or recognition of Copiepresse's rights and that it reserves all rights."