Rupert Murdoch, chief executive and chairman of News Corporation, has suggested that he may sue the BBC over breaches of copyright for ‘stealing’material.
In an interview with Sky News Australia, in which he also suggested that he would remove his newspaper websites from Google’s search index, Murdoch was asked how he could instigate his plan to charge for access to all his newspaper websites when the BBC and other national broadcasters such as Australia’s ABC produce free online news content.
Murdoch said: ‘But we are better…And anyway, if you look at them, most of their stuff is stolen from the newspapers now, and we’ll be suing them for copyright.
‘They will have to spend a lot more money on a lot more reporters to cover the world when they can’t steal from newspapers.”
However, Murdoch said he doubted it would be necessary to go to court.
He also indicated that he could use legal methods to prevent search engine from taking his newspapers’ material.
Murdoch told Sky News Australia that a number of websites, including Google, Microsoft and Ask.com ‘steal our stories without payment”.
News Corp is planning to start charging for access to its newspaper websites, including the Sun and the Times from next year.
A spokesman for the BBC said: “We are getting on with delivering the original high quality journalism which is greatly trusted by our audiences.”
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