As promised, Google News says ‘adios’ to Spain

Google News ceased operations in Spain today, a move the search giant said was the result of a new law that would have required it to pay publishers for their content.

Google had said last week that it was going to stop the service. Today, the company posted a notice on the Google News Spanish site saying the service was gone.

“We’re incredibly sad to announce that, due to recent changes in Spanish law, we have removed Spanish publishers from Google News and closed Google News in Spain,” the post says.

At issue is a new Spanish law that takes effect Jan. 1. The law requires search engines to pay publishers for the right to display snippets of text from stories and headlines. The law was passed amid broader concerns from publishers across Europe that Google wields too much power.

But Google said its news service does not make money since it doesn’t display advertising on the site. As such, the company said operating under such a law was “not sustainable.”