Why do the French hate Google?
First the national French press agency is suing Google:
Agence France Presse is suing Google for $17.5 million for aggregating and extracting headlines and excerpts from AFP stories on its Google News service. Google claims its use of AFP material is protected by fair use laws; AFP denies it.
But also, the head of the National Library turned down Google’s offer to scan their archives, opting for a European alternative instead. “[T]he French are alarmed that Google Print may brainwash the world with its English-language views.” Strangely, however, this European alternative just might end up being powered by … Microsoft!
(Some links lifted from here.)
UPDATE: Maybe this is why? More at Der Spiegel.