In article ,
says...
In article t, Java
Man wrote:

Or perhaps Google ripoffs emerging in China, with no protection for
Google's IP?

What IP? Google isn't doing anything proprietary in its web and usenet
aggregating. You or I could start doing it tomorrow.

You may be right about IP -- I don't know what is in the "back office".


All Google has that you don't is a head start, a supoena to appear
before the US Congress, and $19 billion less share value than they had
a couple of days ago.

But you're suggesting that Google's only advantage is a head start, and
not some internal "secrets". Secrets don't have to be legally
protectable IP to be valuable. I've read that one of the reasons Google
is resisting the Bush admin's request is to protect its internal methods
from public exposure. I think there's something more to this than a
simple head start.

Do you know for a fact that Google's "back office" has no know-how
advantage that they want to keep secret?

Rick