Google’s Schmidt Asks India to Fix Internet Laws

Google Inc.’s Chairman Eric Schmidt Wednesday publicly asked the Indian government to change its laws governing the Internet and to create a favorable ecosystem for entrepreneurs and startups in the country.
“There are a set of things to be fixed by the Indian government,” Mr. Schmidt said at an event in New Delhi.
He said one of the laws India needs to change currently holds Internet companies liable for content posted by users.
Some Internet companies, including Google, face lawsuits in India for not censoring content posted by web users.
In 2011, angered at the spread of inflammatory material online, Indian legislators passed a law that allows Internet companies to be held liable for “offensive” material posted by users. Parts of the law are being challenged in India’s Supreme Court, which has yet to rule.
The Google chairman is in India until Thursday, his first visit as the Internet giant’s chief. He is also expected to talk at another technology event organized by Google on Thursday.
Mr. Schmidt said that India has to create a favorable system for venture capital firms to invest in the country.
“India, of course, dominated the business process outsourcing market successfully,” he said. “India is not leading in web services even though there is an opportunity.”
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