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  • Microsoft Supports Australian Law Google Is Fighting

    Microsoft Supports Australian Law Google Is Fighting

    Microsoft has come out in full support of a law that could prompt Google to pull out of Australia.

    Google has been arguing against a proposed Australian law that would force the company to pay for news, something it has a long history of trying to get around. The company is so adamant that it doesn’t want to pay for news that it has threatened to pull its search engine from Australia if the law goes through.

    Microsoft clearly sees an opportunity, with CEO Satya Nadella assuring Prime Minister Scott Morrison the company is confident it could fill the gap. Microsoft isn’t stopping there, however, even going so far as to support the Australian law at the heart of the issue, according to Reuters.

    “While Microsoft is not subject to the legislation currently pending, we’d be willing to live by these rules if the government designates us,” the software giant said in a statement.

    Microsoft appears to be pushing hard to gain market share Google is on the verge of walking away from. If the company can pull it off, it may well have found a way to make up significant ground in the search engine wars.

  • Microsoft Bing Eyes Opportunity As Google Threatens Australian Exit

    Microsoft Bing Eyes Opportunity As Google Threatens Australian Exit

    As Google threatens to pull its search engine from the Australian market, Microsoft sees an opportunity, even meeting with the Australian PM.

    Google has threatened to completely pull its search engine from the Australian market in response to a proposed change that would force the search giant to pay for news content. Google has long resisted calls for it to pay for news, claiming that publishers benefit far more than it does from the search giant linking to and quoting news articles.

    Australia isn’t having it, however, and plans to force the search giant to pay for the news content it uses. Google has said it would pull out of the market if that happens, leaving the market ripe for Microsoft Bing.

    “I can tell you, Microsoft’s pretty confident, when I spoke to Satya,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters, according to Reuters.

    “We just want the rules in the digital world to be the same that exist in the real world, in the physical world,” Morrison added.

    Microsoft’s willingness to work with Australia could be a major step forward in the company’s efforts to gain more market share. Currently in distance second place in the search market, Bing could quickly gain ground if its seen as more open to working with publishers and governments.

  • Google Search May Pull Out Of Australia Over News Content

    Google Search May Pull Out Of Australia Over News Content

    Google has taken the extraordinary step of threatening to pull its search engine out of Australia if it’s forced to pay for news content.

    Google has long been at odds with news publishers. Many have tried to get the company to pay for news, but the company has made it a practice to link to and use news content without paying. Google has always claimed that news publishers benefit far more than it does from the arrangement.

    In spite of that, the company has begun caving to pressure. France has ordered Google to pay for news and the company recently set aside $1 billion to help fund partnerships with publishers.

    Google seems unwilling to give into Australia’s demands, however, according to ABC News. According to the report, Google has said it will pull its search engine if Australia moves ahead with its plans to force the company to pay.

    “If this version of the code were to become law, it would give us no real choice but to stop making Google search available in Australia,” Mel Silva, the managing director of Google Australia and New Zealand, told a Senate inquiry. “And that would be a bad outcome not only for us, but also for the Australian people, media diversity, and the small businesses who use our products every day.”

    That stance did not go over well with the government, with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying “we don’t respond to threats.”

    It remains to be seen how things will eventually shake out, but it’s not looking good for Google Australia either way.