News Corp. May Pay Microsoft to De-Index Sites from Google

Microsoft has had discussions with News Corp. over a plan that would involve the media company's being paid to "de-index" its news websites from Google, setting the scene for a search engine battle that could offer a ray of light to the newspaper industry. The impetus for the discussions came from News Corp, owner of newspapers ranging from the Wall Street Journal of the U.S. to The Sun of the U.K., said a person familiar with the situation, who warned that talks were at an early stage.