German unions demand fair pay over "Google bill"

(1.3.2013) German unions DJV and dju in ver.di are angered by the "Google Bill" recently passed by the lower house of the German parliament that allows publishers to charge Google and other search engines for reproducing the content.

Recent amendments made to the law also allows online aggregators to use "individual words or the smallest excerpts of text" for free.

The unions condemned the bill for neglecting the interest of journalists and other creators who should receive a fair share of the profits made by publishers and Google. They called on publishers to open talks over measures to ensure fair payment to journalists.  (Read more in German on the DJV and dju in ver.di websites)