Microsoft attacks Google's record on copyright

Signs are ever growing that Microsoft are getting really worried about Google taking on their ever present dominance in the industry.

Microsoft is due to launch a blistering attack on Google's supposed "cavalier" attitude to copyright later today with Associate General Counsel Thomas Rubin giving a keynote speech to the Association of American Publishers.

News.com reports that his comments are going to be tough:

"Companies that create no content of their own, and make money solely on the backs of other people's content, are raking in billions through advertising revenue and IPOs.

Google takes the position that everything may be freely copied unless the copyright owner notifies Google and tells it to stop," said Rubin, noting that Microsoft takes the position of seeking the copyright owner's consent before they copy.

The comments bring back memories of a lawsuit against Google by 5 major American publishers 16 months ago (for which there is still no trial date set).

Rubin added:

"But Google's track record of protecting copyrights in other parts of its business is weak at best."

ZDNet reminds us of a previous attack from Microsoft on Open source software, of which this whiffs rather similarly:

Microsoft's move bears parallels to an attack five years ago by the company on open-source software, which has emerged over the past decade as the biggest alternative to Microsoft's Windows software franchise.

Microsoft argued then that open-source software jeopardised property rights and threatened to undermine the software industry as it argued in favour of "shared-source" software that reinforced intellectual property rights.