ONLINE search engine Google will shut down its Google News service in Spain ahead of the country’s new intellectual property law. 

From December 16, Spanish publications will no longer appear on Google’s search engines and the ‘News’ feature will be disabled to Spanish residents.

The decision comes in response to the Spanish government’s decision to introduce a controversial tax – nicknamed Google tax – which will allow Spanish publications to charge services like Google News.

Head of Google News, Richard Gingras, said: “It’s with real sadness that on December 16 we’ll remove Spanish publishers from Google News, and close Google News in Spain.”

He added that the Spanish law was ‘not sustainable’ and made no sense seeing as ‘Google News itself makes no money’.

 

 

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17 COMMENTS

  1. Spain wants to have as little news coverage as possible, seeing as it’s all so depressing, so this is all part of the master plan. A very backward step for Spain, but then again no surprise from what is a very backward country. When the newspapers lose all the exposure most will go bankrupt.

  2. @LUISMI, Spain’s railways are financed by EU funds, as are its motorways and other transport infrastructures. Prior to Spain entering the EU they only had minor roads and dirt tracks. Btw, the UK has same-sex marriages. You have zero knowledge about events in Spain, and the UK.

  3. LUISMI, most of your high-speed rail network was paid for by the EU, and considering one of the biggest contributors to the EU budget is the UK, that means British taxpayers. In the 30 odd years Spain has been a member of the EU it has never been a net contributor, and still is not. Spain has one of the biggest economies in Europe. You should be ashamed. It’s like a 30-year-old who still lives at home with his parents, taking their money…

  4. Iestyn ap Robert,
    he is one of those 30 year olds’ – who still lives with mama.

    I have to say that apart from that disgrace to the Celts – Franco, I actually preferred Spain in the 60s’ – unspoilt Med coast/regional cooking/ Madrid a beautiful city – who can forget the old men with the keys to the hostals, who leaned on their nightsticks and who you had to clap your hands for what seemed like hours before they emerged from the nearest bar and let you in to your accomodation – those were the days my friend, so the song goes and it’s all true.

  5. Prior to Spain’s entry there was no high-speed rail (paid for by the EU), and the UK is a much smaller country that Spain, so not surprising there are fewer km of highway. The only reason Spain has so many km is because it was paid for by the EU. Spain doesn’t get out of bed unless it’s offered a subvencion… Spain has never been a net contributor to the EU. Just like the 30-year-old guy who still lives off his parents, but drives a Porsche…. Embarrasing

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