Internet search services provider Google Inc is reportedly set to launch a paid content system for publishers, which it is calling Newspass. According to a report in an Italian newspaper, La Repubblica, Google is reaching out to publishers to get them to sign up for the system, which is slated for launch later this year.
Google is yet to confirm the La Repubblica report. According to the La Repubblica article, the Newspass system seems to have many elements of a paid content proposal that the company made to the Newspaper Association of America in 2009. In a document to the Newspaper Association of America in September 2009, the company summarised that 'open' need not mean free, and content on the Internet can thrive supported by multiple business models - including content available only via subscription.
Google News has received criticism from news publishers for its free aggregation of content, despite the service giving greater visibility and driving traffic to many news publishers. With Newspass, people will reportedly be able to log-in to the sites of participating news publishers using a single login. Publishers will be able to select what the type of payment they want to accept, including subscriptions and micropayments. People who find content from participating publishers in Google search will see a paywall icon next to that content and be able to purchase access directly from there using Checkout.
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