Google a platform for piracy: new CEO

Google is a platform for piracy and traditional media hasn't done enough to assert the sanctity of content rights, the chief executive of News Corp says.

Robert Thomson said the influential companies of Silicon Valley have a "collective contempt for intellectual property rights" and journalists have been too passive in the face of profound change.

"There is no doubt that the extraordinarily successful Google has become a platform for piracy and has undermined the value of content creation," Mr Thomson told a Melbourne Press Club event on Friday.

Speaking of news content presented on the Google home page, Mr Thomson said if the provenance of the content was truly respected, the link would appear in the masthead font of the publication.

"Instead, the link has been Google-fied and the character, the sources, that little bit compromised."

He said the typography was a small but telling indication of intent.

Google, which knows the most minute demographic detail suddenly can't distinguish between a well-known pirate site and a legitimate site, he said.

The evolution of content is still in its early stages, Mr Thomson said, but traditional media must have a clear view of the commercial and social efficacy of great journalists.