Efforts to create a European search engine to compete with Google and Yahoo were highlighted last week during a speech by French Presidents Jacques Chirac, drawing comparisons to Airbus —and prompting Thompson to take the project underground. IDG reports that Thomson chairman Frank Dangeard has imposed a “news blackout” by his PR staff; the web site now requires a log-in. A Thompson spokesman explained: “There’s been a lot of noise and our chairman decided we should stop making any comments until a more official press event.”
Perhaps too eager to announce a credible rival or not aware of the subtleties, Chirac may have jumped the gun with his assertion a European search engine was being readied for launch. What Thompson, as part of a consortium, appears to be working on sounds a lot more ambitious. IDG reports that key advances would include transcription, indexing and translation of audio and video; watermarking and digital signatures.