Google vs. Microsoft

Microsoft is lashing out at Internet giant Google for its "cavalier" attitude toward copyright laws. Google's policy, as it stands today, is that everything might be freely copied unless the owner of the copyright contacts them and tells them no. Microsoft lawyer Tom Rubin plans to strike at Google for "profiting from other people's work." He will also be expected to paint Microsoft as having the alternative approach to Google. Microsoft, he will say, would always ask permission from copyright owners before using any such material for Microsoft profit.

Google was on the losing end of a recent Belgian court ruling. The courts found that Google was "unfairly reproducing" newspaper stories on its own news service. There are also lawsuits pending with the Authors Guild, and other publishers for placing books online without permission.

Since its start in 1998, Google has risen to great power online, taking business and profits away from Microsoft in the process. It is believed that the 32-year old Seattle-based company hopes to stir up concerns over Google's motives by offering to work more closely itself with copyright holders.

Lawsuits and legal issues have been expected after Google's 2006 purchase of YouTube, but few have actually arisen since the Internet giant's agreement to a series of deals and restrictions concerning copyrighted materials. The most recent development is that Viacom, which owns MTV, among other things, made an arrangement with Google that none of its TV shows would appear on YouTube in a deal that has been declared a success by the network.