The Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency has taken legal action against X, formerly known as Twitter, in France. AFP claims that X has refused to engage in discussions regarding remuneration for sharing its news content on the platform, prompting the agency to seek an urgent injunction to obtain necessary information for calculating payments under France’s neighboring rights legislation.
AFP Commitment to Press Neighboring Rights
In a press release, AFP expressed concerns over X’s refusal to acknowledge neighboring rights for the press, which were designed to ensure that news agencies and publishers receive compensation from digital platforms that profit from distributing news content. The agency remains dedicated to advocating for neighboring rights, and the legal proceedings against X reflect this ongoing commitment.
Extending Copyright Law to Digital Platforms
The European Union extended copyright law to cover excerpts of news content shared on digital platforms, including article extracts, photographs, videos, and infographics. This legislation, transposed into French law in 2019, applies to news publishers’ content for up to two years after publication. Despite this, it appears that Elon Musk was not aware of the legal requirements, as he focused on other ventures at the time.
Elon Musk’s Response to AFP Lawsuit
Elon Musk responded to the news of AFP’s lawsuit on X, expressing confusion and arguing that AFP wants X to pay for traffic to its site while it generates advertising revenue, and X does not. The disagreement revolves around the fair distribution of revenue generated by the sharing of news content.
Comparison with Google’s Antitrust Case
Google previously faced issues with France’s neighboring rights legislation, leading to an antitrust probe and a substantial fine. Google ultimately settled the dispute with publishers, but its approach sparked controversy. While X’s case may not trigger intervention from the competition authority due to its less dominant position, similar legislation in Australia and Canada highlights the global push for fair revenue sharing between tech platforms and publishers.
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