Belgium does not like Google

I do not know how to take a snapshot of a page. So I will ask you to check out Google.be. There you will find a weird home page for Google. The long tract beneath the familiar part of the page is in fact a judgement passed by a Belgian court against Google (Belgium) finding it in violation of author's rights and condemning it, among other things, to publish the decision on the site's homepage.

The Decision

September 5, 2006

Sender Information: COPIEPRESSE Sent by: [Private] [Private] Belgium

Recipient Information:
[Private]
Google, Inc.
Mountain View, CA, 94043, USA

Sent via:
Re:

[...]

Pursuant to the law dd. 15m June 1935 on the use of languages in judicial matters;

Rejecting all other conclusions other than more extensive or contrary; Declare the claim admissible and founded as follows:

- Find that the defendant cannot exercise any exception provided in the law relating to copyright and ancillary rights (1991) and on the law on data bases (1998);

- Find that the activities of Google News and the use of the "Google cached violate in particular the laws on copyright and ancillary rights (1994) and the law on data bases (1998);

- Order the defendant to withdraw the articles, photographs and graphic representations of Belgian publishers of the French - and German-speaking daily press, represented by the plaintiff, from all their sites (Google News and "cache" Google or any other name within 10 days of the notification of the intervening order, under penalty of a daily fine of
1,000,000.- € per day of delay;

- Also order the defendant to publish, in a visible and clear manner and without any commentary from her part the entire intervening judgment on the home pages of 'google.be' and of 'news.google.be' for a continuous period of 5 days within 10 days of the notification of the intervening order, under penalty of a daily fine of 500,000,- € per day of delay;

Awarding the costs of the expenses of 941.63 € (summons) and 121.47 € (costs of thy proceedings) against the defendant;

So ruled and pronounced at the public summary hearing dd. 5th September 2006

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