Talk about putting their foot in it. Gawker has an interesting piece on how Rupert Murdoch has accused Google of "stealing" his copyright and of how his lieutenant at The Wall Street Journal Robert Thomson has compared Google to a "parasite or tech tape worm". That wouldn't go down too well with NewsCorp about to negotiate a MySpace ad deal with Google.

As a sweetener, NewsCorp wants to sell Google more access to its media properties but Google is pushing for a discount. Which suggests the deal could be less lucrative than it was before because MySpace has been struggling. Which might explain some of the vitriol from the Murdoch camp.

As Barrons reports, a poll of MySpace users finds 6 of 10 are tending to use the service less because they got bored with it. MySpace chief Owen van Natta has conceded that MySpace is struggling because it has failed to innovate and that it needs to start being more creative. Which suggests that Google will have the whip hand in these negotiations.

The name calling won't have helped.