
Microsoft has had discussions with News Corp over a plan that would involve the media company being paid to "de-index" its news websites from Google, setting the scene for a search engine battle that could offer a ray of light to the newspaper industry.
The impetus for the discussions came from News Corp, owner of newspapers ranging from the Wall Street Journal of the US to The Sun of the UK, said a person familiar with the situation, who warned that talks were at an early stage.
What this represents is a good chunk of the market that wants to move towards a more restrictive web model. They're looking for more control over the interface between web search and content provider so that they can move away from ad-subsidized content.
Personally, I think this is doomed. In my experience, people look for the free content 100% of the time as long as it's equally easy to find. Even as they move stories off Google, it's not as if Google will stop providing news.
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