It's not clear if he actually endorses the concept or is merely having fun by placing it into the rough and tumble arena of public debate, but Business Week media columnist Jon Fine this
week suggests that a well-organized consortium of big content providers could, if they wanted, cripple Google. Fine has Walt Disney, News Corp., NBC Universal, and the New York Times
cooperating on the proposed venture. "Picture this: [these companies partner] in an odd tableau of unity, join together and say: 'We are the founding members of the Content Consortium. Next month
we launch our free, searchable Web site, which no outside search engines can access.'" Such a daring scheme clearly would not be popular in all quarters. There is a strongly held belief
among many Internet advocates that all content must be free and openly searchable across all platforms. This works to Google's great advantage, but it undercuts the potential profits of many content
providers. "Any such move would have serious side effects," allows Fine. "But perhaps the traditional players are too busy enjoying a delicious frisson to worry--imagining that even
though Old Media's fortunes are waning, it can still put some hurt on the new guys."
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