The news laws proposed in Australia that would force internet giants Google and Facebook Inc to shell out money to the domestic media outlets for using their content was fully supported on Wednesday by the United States based software giant Microsoft Corp.
“While Microsoft is not subject to the legislation currently pending, we’d be willing to live by these rules if the government designates us,” the software firm said in a statement. “The code reasonably attempts to address the bargaining power imbalance between digital platforms and Australian news businesses,” the company added.
The laws have already been previously described to be unworkable by both Alphabet Inc’s Google and Facebook, the largest social media company of the world. Last month the companies issued warnings about withdrawing some of their key services from the Australian market in the eventuality of the regulations being passed and implemented by the government.
In the eventuality of Google pulling out its search engine from the Australian market, its search product Bing would be expanded by Microsoft in the country and the company has already communicated its interest to do so, the country’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday. He said this after he spoke with Microsoft’s Chief Executive Satya Nadella last week.
According to industry data, about 94 per cent of the online search engine market of Australia is under the control of Google’s search engine.
A chance would be offered to small businesses in Australia to transfer advertising business to Bing and yet incur no additional costs for doing so Microsoft said in its statement and added that it would also make fresh investments in its search engine in order to make the search engine and the advertisement products related to it competitive.
There were no comments on the issue available from Google.
The Australian government’s proposed code “reasonably attempts to address the bargaining power imbalance between digital platforms and Australian news businesses”, said president of Microsoft, Brad Smith, in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Smith went on to acknowledge that, “while Microsoft is not subject to the legislation currently pending, we’d be willing to live by these rules if the government designates us”.
At the time when Google had threatened to exit the Australian market because of the new proposed laws, Microsoft’s president had reinstated its commitment to the Australian market and had also reiterated that “Microsoft will never make such a threat”.
(Source:www.thehindubusinessline.com)
“While Microsoft is not subject to the legislation currently pending, we’d be willing to live by these rules if the government designates us,” the software firm said in a statement. “The code reasonably attempts to address the bargaining power imbalance between digital platforms and Australian news businesses,” the company added.
The laws have already been previously described to be unworkable by both Alphabet Inc’s Google and Facebook, the largest social media company of the world. Last month the companies issued warnings about withdrawing some of their key services from the Australian market in the eventuality of the regulations being passed and implemented by the government.
In the eventuality of Google pulling out its search engine from the Australian market, its search product Bing would be expanded by Microsoft in the country and the company has already communicated its interest to do so, the country’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday. He said this after he spoke with Microsoft’s Chief Executive Satya Nadella last week.
According to industry data, about 94 per cent of the online search engine market of Australia is under the control of Google’s search engine.
A chance would be offered to small businesses in Australia to transfer advertising business to Bing and yet incur no additional costs for doing so Microsoft said in its statement and added that it would also make fresh investments in its search engine in order to make the search engine and the advertisement products related to it competitive.
There were no comments on the issue available from Google.
The Australian government’s proposed code “reasonably attempts to address the bargaining power imbalance between digital platforms and Australian news businesses”, said president of Microsoft, Brad Smith, in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Smith went on to acknowledge that, “while Microsoft is not subject to the legislation currently pending, we’d be willing to live by these rules if the government designates us”.
At the time when Google had threatened to exit the Australian market because of the new proposed laws, Microsoft’s president had reinstated its commitment to the Australian market and had also reiterated that “Microsoft will never make such a threat”.
(Source:www.thehindubusinessline.com)
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