A ‘Drudge Tax?‘ That’s What Germany Is Considering
- Posted on March 13, 2012 at 8:17am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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Need another example of how desperate Europe is? How about this: a “Drudge tax.”
That may sound odd and ridiculous, but that’s what the Washington Times is calling a new Germany proposal that would require news aggregators to pay a fee to publishers in order to prop up the industry.
“Online commercial vendors, such as search engines and news aggregators, should in the future pay a fee to publishers for the distribution of press products (such as news articles) on the Internet,” says a document cited by the Times. According to the Times, “any business that links to a news article with a brief excerpt is subject to the scheme.”
According to PC World, the push for the law is coming in part from the Federal Association of German Newspaper Publishers Association and is directed at Google.
“It was our idea, so we are happy that this will happen,” said Anja Pasquay, press officer for the group.
The editorial board of the Washington Times isn’t pleased:
That it doesn’t shows this tax is not a matter of principle, but of old-fashioned crony capitalism. The new economy will be used to bail out the old economy simply because the new economy’s lobbyists aren’t as well-connected.
Europe isn’t alone in this failing. Two years ago, the Federal Trade Commission began work on a project to “reinvent journalism” which would have taxed news aggregators. Fortunately, the trial balloon was quickly shot down.
And PC World cites an advocacy coordinator at European Digital Rights who isn’t either:
It is just a comically stupid policy, according to Joe McNamee, advocacy coordinator at European Digital Rights (EDRi). The reason publishers put their content on the Internet is so that people can access it, and punishing companies for helping people to find content is nothing short of absurd, he said via email.
Also, If the publishers’ inability to evolve in the digital environment leads to policies that allow them not to evolve, then this will ultimately be bad for them, according to McNamee.
By the way, are you surprised that the FTC considered a program to “reinvent journalism?” If you’re unfamiliar with it, here’s what Hot Air had to say back in the summer of 2010:
If that sounds vaguely Orwellian to you, the actual language in the Federal Trade Commission’s discussion-points memo should have hairs standing on the backs of necks across the nation. It shows a wildly laughable rationale for government intervention that would prop up the failing newspaper model in a manner that would put the entire industry at the mercy of the federal bureaucracy it’s supposed to keep in check.
The paper notes “experimentation” of media outlets on the Internet, a rather strange term considering that most media outlets have used the Internet for years. Major newspapers have been on line for well over a decade. After framing that as “experimentation,” the FTC then argues that it won’t work. Not only that, it then offers a very strange definition of “subsidy” in order to provide cover for a government intervention.
You can read the old proposal, which was rejected, here.
A draft of the German law could come as soon as next month, but would likely not go into effect until next year.
This story has been updated.
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dontbotherme
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 10:47pmThis is a way of stifling speech. The German Government was very adept at this when Hitler ruled with an iron fist. The propaganda machine had no competition. Germany is going backwards. Our Nation, under this current administration, is attempting the same tactics.
Report Post »marybethelizabeth
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 9:14pmIt has been speculated that Mr. Beck‘s criticism of Google stems from Rupert Murdoch’s feud with Google over this very issue.
Remember that Mr. Beck still has a working relationship with the Murdoch empire.
Expect Mr. Beck to flip flop on this issue.
Report Post »KevINtampa
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 5:13pmWow, cool. I’m going to start a news site, but not require the tax be paid to me by the aggregators. Guess what? Drudge, the blaze, and other news aggregators will reference me more, driving more traffic to my site,which in turn not only gives me more money because the total number of clicks on my site will be higher than everyone else, but because I enjoy some artificial exclusivity I can charge MORE per click to the advertisers. Perfect system Germany…
Report Post »Arshloch
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 3:05pmPublishers put their garbage in the internet to spread the ‘gospel according to buffoon’. Since Germany appears forced to be the bank of the European Onion, this tax is only fair to allow recoup of some of the loss from the people who support the buffoon’s manifesto.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:47pmSocialists!
Report Post »drphil69
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:45pmDUMB!
Germany passes law… drudge, google, etc stop linking to german “news” organizations. They make no tax money, and have less traffic to their websites, which reduces their revenue from sales generated from their website ads.
Report Post »BarackStalin
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 1:44pmAre they going to tax anyone who reads a story then emails the details of that story to a friend?
How about if you call a friend and talk about the news…they should tax that too, right?
They just can’t stand the fact that they have competing media narratives instead of one source of all news that can be controlled by the state.
We’re next, America. The internet will be censored and controlled soon. Free exchange of ideas is a dangerous scenario.
Report Post »citizen0000
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 12:59pmWHY?
These big govt ideas that come down to save us all should never invade my head space in the first place. Can we create a bureau or agency or Dept of WHY? Why should we pay this tax? Why should this regulation be enacted, etc. A long time ago I heard of a fairy tale land where the people set up a governance with checks and balances, each branch could limit and restrict the other, asking WHY? In this land of the free, power of the govt could not be used against it’s people.
Report Post »piper60
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 11:40amDrudge is doing such a good job that he is embarrassing the German journalists.
Report Post »genusadfundum
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 10:38amPerfect example that it is not about the truth but it is about control ie: power. I think any reduction that traditional media has in their control is a good thing.
Report Post »Notice how I say “I think” and not “I feel”. We the people need to think our way through this, not feel our way through.
D-Fence
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 10:18amThank God for Fox, and talk radio, if, for the only reason, there is a single dissenting voice in the media. This is why Breitbart was and is so important.
Report Post »kennycannon
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 10:07amThey are trying to keep the print press in their pockets because they are easier to control. One rogue blogger with a powerful message can change the world (Drudge, Breitbart, Huffington, Etc.)
Report Post »G-WHIZ
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 10:00amOOOOOH! I thought it was a tax for listening to Matt DRUDGE! D’oh!
Report Post »barber2
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 9:52amThe International Left’s war on conservative freedoms continues. Read the front page of today’s New YorkTimes which heralds the arrest of a Murdoch editor in London. Read the comments to the article to see the desired aim of all of this “ hacking” witch hunt: the International Left‘s goal to destroy Fox News here in America as well as Murdoch’s conservative news outlets abroad. This is the most frightening example of an assault on freedom of the press in my lifetime. Every totalitarian government in history would be proud of these jack-booted Lefties. Taking their lesson from Goebbels , these masters of media manipulation have a decided goal and game plan. Be aware. Be VERY aware of what is going on regarding our media and these dangers to our freedoms.
Report Post »freedoc
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 2:59pmWell said.
Report Post »shogun459
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 9:38amOnce you tax it the “Government” takes over and free speach is totally dead in Europe.
All media outlets will be controlled by the Government.
He who controls the Media controls the Country. Do You trust ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, or CNN to tell you JUST WHAT HAPPENED without slanting the story? Trust them to tell you the whole story? Trust them to tell you the story at all?
I trust them to tell me what Obama wants me to hear.
Have you ever tried to get information from the government? Even when your suppossed to have it?
Once they declare you dead, You KNOW how hard it is to prove to the Government that you’re alive?
Report Post »tricia
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 9:18amThey just won’t link to those news sites. They’ll get the German news the old fashioned way- blogs, twitters- phone tag. I think I would like that, news jounalists are so biased anyway. Citizen journalism??? The pols should be careful what they wish for, they just might get it…..United Citizens
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 9:02amOne more example of why governments are out of control; all that they think of to save their own hides are raise taxes, install new taxes, crush competition and continue spending instead of doing such things that make common sense of – lower taxes, cut spending, streamline, smaller government.
Of course the universal contradiction:
Report Post »Government and Common Sense.
Ruler4You
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 9:13amThis “IS” the wrong way, Germany. You are going the wrong way…! This can’t fix the problem…
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 8:57am.
Report Post »Drudge? Sounds like Welfare to me, paying the useless to do nothing……….
Oil_Robb
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 8:56amThis is so typical of the socialists around the world always meddling where they have no business beeing, while they are at it can they buy me a pair of retro Air-Jordan shoes that would keep the new from beeing more desirable than the old.
Report Post »hauschild
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 9:23amAlarmingly, the crackpots sure have a helluva following worldwide. Pretty sad how the promise of a false security can hoodwink the masses, generation after generation.
I’d ask whether anybody reads history any longer, but I guess it’s relatively moot, because progressives revise it frequently.
Report Post »D-Fence
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 10:20amThey have a large following because their pappy’s fell for it in the first place. Once a generation is gone and they feel not the difference in freedom and socialism, then the words become interchangable.
Report Post »Minonkman
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 8:53amI have friends that used to live in Germany, two years ago they sold everything and moved to Paraguay. They so tried to get the wife and I to go, I asked them why, and they left due to the fact that, they were told that all German’s were going to have to learn to live on less for a very long time. They now enjoy a great new life away from regulation and high taxes.
Report Post »D-Fence
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 10:29amSo the lesson you first gen Americans have learned is .. what? That Socialism is just another form of Tyranny, and that if left to its natural course the free masrket system runs fine, and you enjoy personal freemdoms that only are available when government works for the people instead of people working for the government..
Report Post »doomytram
Posted on March 13, 2012 at 8:51amHere’s a novel idea, cut spending, you ridiculous out of control big governments across the globe.
Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Barrack Hussein Oblamer, have not cut one red cent from the size and scope of government in 5 years. In fact, quite the inverse, they have further enlarged the bloat in an insolvent federal spending process.
Government reform now! Tea Party is sanity! Leftism is fiscal insanity!
Report Post »