
<A HREF="http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/09/21/google.news.ap/index.html">Google has refused to comply with a Belgian court decision</A> that required the company to publish the original text of the ruling on its sites, calling that requirement "unnecessary" and "disproportionate." Earlier this month, the Belgian Court of First Instance ordered the Internet search engine to stop publishing content from Belgian newspapers without permission or payment of fees. Local newspaper editors argued that Google's popular news site, which features small photos and excerpts from news reported elsewhere, stole traffic from individual newspapers' sites. Google complied with the ruling, which threatened to impose daily fines of about $1.27 million against the company. Google is removing the Belgian newspapers from its indexes.