Google and the General Information Press Alliance (APIG) have finally reached an agreement on neighboring rights after several years of heated arm wrestling between the two parties.
Two years of standoff between Google and AGIP
In 2019, France adopted the neighboring right according to a European directive on copyright. This requires major digital platforms highlighting press articles, like Google News, to remunerate the press publishers by whom these articles are written.
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However, the Silicon Valley giant and the French media had trouble getting along, so much so that Google was fined 500 million euros, imposed by the French Competition Authority, in last July. Recently, it seemed that Google was close to an agreement with AGIP, which counts among its ranks national newspapers such as The echoes, Le Parisien-Today in France or Le Figarobut also regional dailies such as The Midi Dispatchof South West and of West France, as well as certain regional weekly press groups. In total, AGIP brings together 289 French press publishers.
This Thursday, March 3, 2022, the Alliance and Google have therefore agreed on an agreement, the amount of which has not been revealed and which has been designed according to the recommendations of the Competition Authority. This stipulates that the remuneration will be made on the basis transparent and non-discriminatory criteria and should take into account direct and indirect income.
Google will now have to remunerate the French media members of AGIP. Photography: Obi Onyeador / Unsplash
Facebook got there early
” These agreements materialize our commitment to publishers and press agencies. They open up new perspectives to contribute to the development of these press titles in the digital age. “said Sébastien Missoffe, Vice President and General Manager of Google France.
As explained by Moderator’s Blog, some publishers who are not part of AGIP are not concerned by this agreement and have still not found a point of agreement with Google. This is particularly the case for media such as The Team, Point or The chained Duck.
As a reminder, Facebook for its part anticipated the launch of Facebook News in France by signing an agreement with AGIP last October on neighboring rights.