signor_john - 10:41 pm on Nov 23, 2009 (gmt 0)

In a thread [webmasterworld.com] titled "Will Microsoft pay publishers to boycott Google news?" on the Microsoft Corporate Forum, I asked:

Is this ethical? Is it even legal? To me, it sounds like Budweiser going into a bar and telling the owner, "We'll pay you not to serve Miller." (As opposed to "We'll pay you to serve Bud in addition to Miller.")

Given Microsoft's history on the antitrust and restraint-of-trade front, it seems like a risky move for Microsoft.

As for Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., is getting a limited-term subsidy from a search engine the best he can do? A few weeks ago, Mr. Murdoch was complaining about Google News and talking about getting users to pay for content. Now he's looking for a handout from another referrer of low-quality drive-by traffic. This sounds like an act of desperation, not a long-term plan for monetizing his content.