Microsoft faults Google on its copyright protection practices

March 6, 2007 Microsoft has begun an attack against Google over the issue of copyright infringements. The officials from the software giant state that the number one search engine takes a cavalier approach to what concerns copyright protection. The associate general counsel of Microsoft, Mr. Thomas Rubin, prepared a remark that he delivered to the Association of American Publishers. He argued that Google's idea to create a book search engine might come at publishers' expense.

Mr. Rubin criticized those companies that use the works of various publishers and not their own, stating that such companies make billions on the back of other people's content. He said that in distinction from Microsoft, Google feels comfortable making a certain content searchable online and afterwards asking permission from the author. According to the associate general counsel of Microsoft, Google does not always ask permission and uses the copyright work until its author tells the company to stop.

In response to the accusations from Microsoft, the senior vice president for corporate development of Google said that Google performs legal actions. Whenever the company wanted to make certain content available online it always asked for permission. In such a way Google worked with several thousands publishing partners and recently made a partnership with BBC and N.B.A. to display videos on YouTube.