The websites of News Corporation publications are set to be removed from Google's search indexes, according to Rupert Murdoch, chief executive officer of the media group.
In an interview with Sky News Australia, the owner of papers such as the Sun, the Times and the Wall Street Journal said the move could be made when the company starts charging for online news.
Murdoch announced earlier this year that News Corporation would be establishing a paid-for content model for its websites, although he indicated last week that the launch of such sites could be delayed until the second half of 2010.
Explaining why he wants the new system in place, the media mogul told Sky News: "The people who simply just pick up everything and run with it - steal our stories, we say they steal our stories - they just take them."
He said that companies such as Google, Microsoft, Ask.com and "a whole lot of people" should not have been able to use this content for free all the time, adding: "I think we've been asleep."
