A Belgian court has ordered Google to stop reproducing articles from French-speaking newspapers in the news section of one of its Belgian websites, a local press organisation said.
The complaint against the world's most popular Internet search engine was lodged by Copiepresse, an organisation that manages copyright for the Belgian French and German-speaking press.
The court's ruling, which was issued on September 5th, stipulates that Google must pay a fine of €1 million daily if it does not comply on Monday, Copiepress general secretary Margaret Boribon said.
Links and summaries of articles in Belgian newspapers such as La Derniere Heure, La Libre Belgiqueor Le Soirwere still visible on Google's Belgian website on Monday morning.
"We are asking for Google to pay and seek our authorisation to use our content . . . Google sells advertising and makes money on our content," Ms Boribon said, confirming reports in Belgian media.
She said she was in the process of informing her European counterparts of the results of the court action and it was possible that similar actions could be taken elsewhere in Europe.
Lawyers in Brussels representing Google in the case were not immediately available for comment.