The Spanish Newspaper Publishers' Association (AEDE) was the main media lobby group that pushed for the new laws on intellectual property in Spain. The law made Google decide to shut down Google News in Spain, with the company announcing the decision last Wednesday.
Google specified in its statement that a new law in Spain led to its decision, stating that the Internet, while being able to create opportunities for publishers, also created challenges for the publishers. This is due to the increasing competition for the attention of the readers and for the revenues made from advertising.
However, AEDE is now looking for support from the government and communities of Spain and competition authorities in Europe to prevent Google from closing its news service in the country.
In a statement released by AEDE, the group said that the pending shutdown of Google News in Spain was "not just the closure of another service given its dominant market position," admitting that if the service closed, it will lead to a negative impact on the citizens and business of the country.
AEDE spokeswoman Irene Lanzaco said through a telephone interview with The Spain Report that the group has not asked for such a move to be made by Google. Lanzaco said that AEDE has always been open to negotiating with Google, but the international company has decided not to take a neutral position with the matter.
Lanzaco admitted that Google is free to shut down Google News in Spain. However, the positioning in the general index is an entirely different, Lanzaco said.
When asked if AEDE has received complaints from the group's members since the announcement by Google to close down Google News, the spokeswoman refused to cite specifics, instead stating that the publishers in Spain are in constant communication with AEDE.
Google's statement regarding the pending shutdown of Google News in Spain explained the new laws implemented in the country, which requires publications to charge news services such as Google News for posting even small portions of content from the publications. With Google News being advertisement-free, and therefore, making no revenues, it would not be sustainable to continue implementing the service.
Google said that it will be shutting down Google News in Spain on Dec. 16, well before the implementation of the new regulations in January. The shutdown will also remove all publishers from Spain in Google News services everywhere else in the world.
