Google makes nice with European news publishers

European publishers have long chastised Google for allegedly hurting their bottom line, but the internet giant is now trying to meet them half way. It's launching a partnership with eight news outlets (including the UK's Financial Times and Guardian) that will develop publisher-friendly products and create a €150 million ($163 million) "innovation fund." The hope is that the collaboration will keep journalism viable in an era where you can sometimes get the gist of a story through a simple web search.

Of course, whether or not this makes a practical difference is another matter. The team-up only includes large news organizations, and it's not certain that indies will reap any benefits. Also, there's a big gap between throwing money at a problem and getting a practical, mutually acceptable solution. It won't be surprising if there's a deadlock at some point. Still, this beats the frequently antagonistic relationship that Google and publishers have had before -- even if it probably won't do much to ease the minds of EU antitrust investigators.

[Image credit: Adam Berry/Getty Images]