SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Agence France-Presse has sued Google Inc., alleging the Web search leader includes AFP's photos, news headlines and stories on its news site without permission.
The French news service is seeking damages of at least $17.5 million and an order barring Google News from displaying AFP photographs, news headlines or story leads, according to the suit filed on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.Google was not immediately available for comment. AFP's lawyers could not immediately be reached for comment on the suit.
AFP sells subscriptions to its content and does not provide it free. Google News gathers photos and news stories from around the Web and posts them on its news site, which is free to users.
I'll have to think twice before linking to any material that originates from AFP. Details here from Reuters. (via How Appealing)