Is Europe becoming Google’s Russia? Hollande threatens to push for ‘Google Tax’

I wrote this morning that Google seems to be suffering from a thousand European cuts, and at seems I forgot a deep, dangerous one: French president François Hollande threatened on Monday that he would push for a Google Tax if Google and the French publishers don’t resolve their issues by the end of January:

“It’s normal that people who profit from your work, also pay for the costs of it. It will be a way for the search engine to finance the press,” he said.

Google and the French publishers have been negotiating since the beginning of December, but haven’t reached an agreement yet. It looks like Hollande is giving the publishers a win here.

Of course, it’s one thing to install a tax, and quite another to collect it. Also, Google might simply decide not to index the French publishers anymore, like it once did in Belgium, and is apparently doing in Brazil.

Anyway, expect Google Air to land in France again soon.

Via Les Echos via Rudebaguette 

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