France rules Google must pay news firms for content

ronjor · Apr 9, 2020

April 9, 2020

PARIS (Reuters) - France’s competition authority ruled on Thursday that Google must pay French publishing companies and news agencies for re-using their content.
The U.S. tech firm said it would comply with the French competition authority verdict, which followed a complaint by unions representing French press publishers
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Krusty · Apr 9, 2020

French authorities tell Google they have to pay publishers and news agencies when they re-use their content

The Tech giant has been ordered to pay French publishing companies and news outlets for re-using their content.

The US tech giant Google has been ordered by a European authority to pay for content that it takes from publishers and news agencies and publishes online without paying for it.

Google has “caused a serious and immediate harm to the press sector” and to publishers whose position is “otherwise fragile”.

In a major decision which is likely to be considered by governments around the world, France’s competition authority has ruled that Google must pay French publishing companies and news agencies for re-using their content.

The regulator said “Google’s practices … were likely to constitute an abuse of a dominant position, and caused serious and immediate harm to the press sector”.

France’s culture ministry, which subsidises much of the media sector, welcomed the injunction.

“Google now has to propose news publishers a fair remuneration commensurate with the value that the search engine derives from the content,” Culture Minister Franck Riester said.
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https://www.news.com.au/technology/...t/news-story/9202e610fadabc3b905d494bd474cf60

guest · Apr 20, 2020

Australia to make Google and Facebook pay for news content
April 20, 2020
https://techxplore.com/news/2020-04-australia-google-facebook-news-content.html

Global digital platforms Google and Facebook will be forced to pay for news content in Australia, the government said Monday, as the coronavirus pandemic causes a collapse in advertising revenue.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission would release in late July draft rules for the platforms to pay fair compensation for the journalistic content siphoned from news media.
Frydenberg said he believed that Australia could succeed where other countries, including France and Spain, had failed in making Google and Facebook pay.

"We won't bow to their threats," Frydenberg told reporters. "We understand the challenge that we face. This is a big mountain to climb. These are big companies that we are dealing with, but there is also so much at stake, so we're prepared for this fight."
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The ACCC had attempted to negotiate a voluntary code by which the global giants would agree to pay traditional media for their content.
But the parties couldn't agree on "this key issue of payment for content," Frydenberg said.
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guest · Apr 24, 2020

Ireland Should Consider Forcing Google, Facebook to Pay Media for Content: PM
April 24, 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/04/24/business/24reuters-australia-media-ireland.html

The Irish government should consider copying Australia's plan to force Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google to share advertising revenue with local media, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Friday.

Companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter "are sort of free riders on costs incurred by other people," Varadkar, whose country hosts the European headquarters of most of the largest U.S tech companies, told journalists.

"I think the new government will want to study that and see if it makes sense to do something similar in Ireland. On the face of it, it is a good idea," said Varadkar, whose party is in talks with rivals on the formation of a new government.
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guest · Jun 16, 2020

mood said: ↑

Australia to make Google and Facebook pay for news content
April 20, 2020
https://techxplore.com/news/2020-04-australia-google-facebook-news-content.html
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Australia is trying to make Facebook and Google pay for news. Facebook Australia says it doesn’t need news, actually.
June 15, 2020
https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/06/a...ake-facebook-and-google-pay-for-news-content/

Australian authorities are pressing ahead with a controversial plan to make Facebook and Google pay for news content, and with formal submissions made, it’s clear there will be no amicable settlement.

A summary of Facebook’s submission, released this week, shows a hardening of language: “If there were no news content available on Facebook in Australia…we are confident the impact [on audience and revenue] would not be significant.” Google Australia managing director Mel Silva has also written that both the direct and indirect value of news to the search giant is “very small.”
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It’s clear from Facebook’s submission and Google’s public statements that there will be no immediate payout to news organizations. They argue the value they derive from news content is marginal and they don’t believe they should be responsible for funding it.
The market failure in regards to news is real, and must be addressed by governments in some way. Holding two very successful companies responsible for both the news industry’s demise and its ongoing sustenance seems far too convenient to be right.
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ronjor · Jun 25, 2020

Google says it will pay some news publishers to license content, bowing to regulatory pressure

Ryan Browne@Ryan_Browne_ Jun 25 2020
Google will pay some publishers for “high-quality content” on a new service expected to launch later this year.
The move follows calls from antitrust regulators in France and Australia for Google to pay for news content.
Publishers are grappling with a steep decline in advertising expenditure due to the coronavirus crisis.
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guest · Jul 31, 2020

Australia to force Google and Facebook to pay news publishers
July 31, 2020
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/31/australia-to-force-google-and-facebook-to-pay-news-publishers.html

Google and Facebook could be forced to pay Australian news publishers to distribute their content, in a landmark regulatory move from the country’s competition regulator.

Under the rules, if the publishers and digital platforms are unable to agree a deal after three months of formal talks, a “final offer” arbitration process will be? initiated that results in the selection of the “most reasonable” offer in 45 business days.

“[...] We want to ensure consumer protection is enhanced, competition is increased and of course we deliver a sustainable media environment for all Australians for the future.”
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The move could see Australia become the first country to force Google and Facebook to pay for news content. It comes after talks between the online platforms, ACCC and media companies failed to result in agreement.
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ronjor · Aug 17, 2020

Google says Australians could lose free search services

By ROD McGUIRK August 17, 2020
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Google warned on Monday that the Australian government’s plan to make digital giants pay for news content threatens users’ free services in Australia and could result in their data being given to media organizations.
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guest · Aug 17, 2020

ronjor said: ↑

Google says Australians could lose free search services
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ACCC responds to Google's allegations on proposed media code
August 17, 2020
https://www.crn.com.au/news/accc-responds-to-googles-allegations-on-proposed-media-code-551844

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has responded to Google’s claims on the proposed News Media Bargaining Code.

The allegations were laid out in an open letter penned by Google Australia managing director Mel Silva, using a pop-up window within Google Search to direct users to the letter.

“The draft code will allow Australian news businesses to negotiate for fair payment for their journalists’ work that is included on Google services,” the agency said.
“This will address a significant bargaining power imbalance between Australian news media businesses and Google and Facebook. A healthy news media sector is essential to a well-functioning democracy.”
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ACCC: Response to Google open letter

The open letter published by Google today contains misinformation about the draft news media bargaining code which the ACCC would like to address.
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guest · Sep 1, 2020

Facebook to block news on Australian sites after new law, riling lawmakers
September 1, 2020
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-after-new-law-riling-lawmakers-idUSKBN25S36J

Facebook Inc (FB.O) on Tuesday said it would stop Australians sharing news content on its platforms if a proposal to make it pay local media outlets for their content becomes law, escalating tension with the Australian government.

Facebook’s plan to block the sharing of news on Australian user accounts, rather than pay royalties, puts the firm broadly in step with Google on the matter and pushes the prospect of an agreement with the government further out of reach.

“Assuming this draft code becomes law, we will reluctantly stop allowing publishers and people in Australia from sharing local and international news on Facebook and Instagram,” Facebook Australia Managing Director Will Easton said in a blog post, referring to two Facebook-owned platforms.
Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg [...] “We don’t respond to coercion or heavy handed threats wherever they come from,” Frydenberg said in an emailed response to Reuters’ request for comment.
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Bridget Fair, chief executive of Free TV Australia, a lobby group for free-to-air broadcasters [...] The proposed law was “the only reasonable way to even up the bargaining power between Facebook, Google and Australian News Media Businesses,” Fair said.
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Krusty · Sep 2, 2020

Facebook could be hit with a new tax over threat to ban Australian news

An extraordinary threat by Facebook to ban all Australian news has backfired, with a warning that it could be slapped with a massive new tax.
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https://www.news.com.au/technology/...s/news-story/5a367572fd2d4d5db6704d8bbc6ab850

[...] “Australia makes laws that advance our national interest,” Mr Frydenberg said.

“We don’t respond to coercion or heavy-handed threats wherever they come from. Our reforms to digital platforms are world-leading and following a groundbreaking 18-month inquiry by the ACCC.”
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guest · Sep 17, 2020

Australia to amend law making Facebook, Google pay for news
September 17, 2020
https://techxplore.com/news/2020-09-australia-amend-law-facebook-google.html

The author of proposed Australian laws to make Facebook and Google pay for journalism said Thursday his draft legislation will be altered to allay some of the digital giants' concerns, but remain fundamentally unchanged.

Australia's fair trade regulator Rod Sims, chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, said he would give his final draft of the laws to make Facebook and Google pay Australian media companies for the news content they use by early October.
Facebook has warned it might block Australian news content rather than pay for it.
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Google has said the proposed laws would result in "dramatically worse Google Search and YouTube," put free services at risk and could lead to users' data "being handed over to big news businesses."
"We'll make changes to address some of those issues—not all, but some," Sims said.
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ronjor · Oct 1, 2020

Google to pay publishers $1 billion over three years for their news

By Foo Yun Chee October 1, 2020
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Alphabet’s Google plans to pay $1 billion to publishers globally for their news over the next three years, its CEO said on Thursday, a step that could help it win over a powerful group amid heightened regulatory scrutiny worldwide.
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guest · Oct 8, 2020

French court: Google must open payment talks with publishers
October 8, 2020
https://apnews.com/article/paris-europe-archive-france-676170fc19d38cb4d6a8885f9f839d7c

A French appeals court upheld an order for Google to open negotiations with French publishers over payments to use their news content.

The Paris Court of Appeal sided with France’s competition authority, which had ordered the U.S. tech company to discuss compensation with publishers and news agencies for reusing their material online.
French regulators had argued that Google must sit down for talks under a “neighboring rights” law adopted after the European Union overhauled the bloc’s copyright rules, which include allowing news companies to demand payments when search engines display snippets of their stories.
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kronckew · Oct 9, 2020

News stories are frequently copied from other newspapers. I doubt French papers have paid for the articles they pirated from other sources.

reasonablePrivacy · Oct 9, 2020

kronckew said: ↑

News stories are frequently copied from other newspapers. I doubt French papers have paid for the articles they pirated from other sources.
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There is distinction between outright copying someone's work and writing new article based on information found in someone's work. Copying without permission is a clear violation of intellectual property laws, while second latter usually is not (it's more case-by-case basis).
Anyway what you are saying is just tu quoque logical fallacy. Whataboutism is not a solution that will prevent US companies from breaking the IP laws.

guest · Oct 11, 2020

Google drops curated news plans in Australia over 'unworkable' policy
It argues that it would be forced to pay
October 11, 2020
https://www.engadget.com/google-drops-news-showscase-australia-181545424.html

Google’s dispute with Australia over online news is about to claim a major feature as a casualty. The internet giant has decided to freeze plans to launch its curated News Showcase in Australia over claims the draft News Media Bargaining Code is “unworkable.” It still objected to what it called a “must include, must pay” approach in the code where it not only has to pay news outlets it links to, but is obligated to carry those outlets for free.

The company argued it would deal with payment demands that would “not [be] financially sustainable” for any firm.
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This isn’t Google’s only fight over news. However, it could serve as a bellwether for rollouts elsewhere. If Google is willing to put an entire feature on hold for a country over what it sees as unfavorable terms, you could see a similar response elsewhere.
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Google: Australian code’s unreasonable payment rules

The agreements we have signed in Australia and around the world show that not only are we willing to pay to license news content for a new product, but that we are able to strike deals with publishers without the draft code’s onerous and prescriptive bargaining framework and one-sided arbitration model.

We believe these conditions could be amended to make it a fair and workable code: a code that can work together with commercial deals and programs like News Showcase.
An unreasonable ‘must include, must pay’ system
The draft code proposes, in effect, a ‘must include, must pay’ system, something that’s extreme and unprecedented.
A ‘must include’ regime is rare.
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We would be forced into these one-sided negotiations with all registered news businesses in Australia that earn more than $150,000 per year.
That means we could face extreme and uncommercial claims for payment—which is not financially sustainable for any company.
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ronjor · Dec 9, 2020

Google and FB risk big fines under draft Australian news law

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Google and Facebook would risk multimillion-dollar fines if they failed to comply with proposed legislation introduced into the Australian Parliament on Wednesday that would make the tech giants pay for journalism they display.
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ronjor · Jan 21, 2021

Google, French publishers sign copyright news payment deal 21 Jan 2021

After months of talks, Google France and the Alliance de la Presse d’Information Generale said Thursday that they agreed to set up a framework under which the U.S. company will negotiate individual licensing deals with publishers.
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Krusty · Jan 21, 2021

Google, Facebook: Senate inquiry kicks off into news bargaining code

Google has made a bold threat to Aussie internet users as it launches a bitter fight to avoid paying for local news content.
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https://www.news.com.au/technology/...e/news-story/a604d4108bf947010cb29683994cd528

Google says it will have no choice but to make Google Search unavailable in Australia if the government succeeds in implementing its new media code forcing big tech companies to pay for Australian news content.

In a massive escalation of its opposition, Google Australia and New Zealand managing director Mel Silva said the trillion-dollar US firm would no longer allow Australians to use its search engine if the government enacted the news media bargaining code as proposed.

It is the first clear threat from Google in response to the laws.
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Krusty · Jan 22, 2021

Google says it will pull its search engine from Australia if it is forced to pay news publishers to host their content

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pushed back against a threat by Google to stop making its search engine available in Australia if it is forced to pay news outlets for showing links to their websites and stories under a new media code.

"Let me be clear, Australia makes our rules for things you can do in Australia. That's done in our Parliament," the Prime Minister said.

"It's done by our Government and that's how things work here in Australia, and people who want to work with that, in Australia, you're very welcome.

"But we don't respond to threats."
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-22/google-stop-search-engine-australia-news-media-code/13079912

reasonablePrivacy · Jan 23, 2021

Krusty said: ↑

"It's done by our Government and that's how things work here in Australia, and people who want to work with that, in Australia, you're very welcome.
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They can't force international company to enter or stay on the local market either. You can only wish that competition will take its place.

Krusty · Jan 23, 2021

reasonablePrivacy said: ↑

They can't force international company to enter or stay on the local market either. You can only wish that competition will take its place.
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Just to clarify; Krusty didn't say. Krusty only posted what the Australian Prime Minister said.

I don't work for the Government so I can only go along for the ride, wherever that takes us.

guest · Jan 23, 2021

Could Google really leave Australia?
January 22, 2021
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-55766429

How much money is Australia worth to Google?
Compared to China, Australia is a much smaller potential market.

Google Australia made A$4.8bn ($3.7bn; £2.7bn) in revenue in 2019. Advertising revenue made up most of that, at A$4.3bn. But factor in all the expenses, and Google Australia made A$134m in profit for the year.
To put that in context, Google's parent Alphabet has an estimated US$100bn or more of cash on hand to cover any revenue gaps.
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Can't Australians just use US Google instead?
It's possible that Google could redirect Australian Google users to the US (or another) country's version of Google. That would likely strip out localised search results, but keep the service accessible.

But it may also be that Google would block Australian users based on their geographic location as determined by an IP (internet) address.
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One simple way around that is using a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, which makes your computer look like it's somewhere else - a trick often used by the tech-savvy to access streaming services in other countries.
What does Australia want Google to pay?
Exactly how much money is at issue is undecided.

The proposed law involves bargaining and arbitration, leaving the matter open - if Google can't reach agreement with a news outlet, a judge would decide what is "fair".
But the government has said it wants "fair" payments to news organisations, which have seen print advertising revenue fall by three-quarters over the past 15 years.
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reasonablePrivacy · Jan 24, 2021

mood said: ↑

Could Google really leave Australia?
January 22, 2021
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-55766429
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They can also leave Australia partially: provide services making more money, but just block i.e. search engine.

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