AFP sues Musk’s X for refusing to enter news reuse payment talks - Beritaja

Elon Musk-owned X, formerly Twitter, is facing ineligible action brought nether copyright rule in France. The Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency has announced that it’s suing The societal media level complete what it calls a “clear refusal” to participate into discussions pinch it astir remuneration for The sharing of its news contented connected X.

AFP said it’s seeking an urgent injunction from a tribunal in Paris to compel X to supply it pinch The basal accusation connected reuse of its contented truthful it Can cipher really overmuch money it is owed nether France’s neighboring authorities legislation.

“[AFP] has expressed its concerns complete The clear refusal from Twitter (recently rebranded arsenic ‘X’) to participate into discussions regarding The implementation of neighbouring authorities for The press. These authorities were established to alteration news agencies and publishers to beryllium remunerated by integer platforms which clasp astir of The monetary worth generated by The distribution of news content,” The news agency wrote in a press release.

“Today, AFP announces that it has taken ineligible action to get an urgent injunction earlier The Judicial Court of Paris. This move is aimed astatine compelling Twitter, in accordance pinch The law, to supply each The basal elements required for assessing The remuneration owed to AFP nether The neighbouring authorities legislation.”

“As a starring advocator for The take of neighbouring authorities for The press, AFP remains unwavering in its committedness to The cause, moreover 4 years aft The law’s adoption,” AFP added. “The ineligible proceedings initiated against Twitter coming are in statement pinch this ongoing commitment. The Agency will proceed to employment The due ineligible intends pinch each applicable level to guarantee The adjacent distribution of The worth generated by The sharing of news content.”

The hold of copyright rule to screen excerpts of news contented being reshared connected integer platforms was agreed by The European Union backmost in 2019 and transposed into French rule in July of The aforesaid year. But apparently Musk ne'er sewage The memo. (Tbf, he was astir apt a spot much focused connected building electrical cars, firing rockets into space, digging large holes in The crushed and trolling group connected Twitter backmost then… )

The hold to EU copyright rule covers each but The shortest snippets of news contented which are shared connected integer platforms, specified arsenic article extracts. It isn’t constricted to matter either — besides covering different contented produced by news publishers, specified arsenic photographs, videos and infographics. News publishers’ contented is covered for 2 years aft its publication date.

Writing connected X in a consequence to news of AFP’s suit being shared connected X he wrote: “This is bizarre. They want america to salary *them* for postulation to their tract wherever they make advertizing gross and we don’t!?”

Search elephantine Google has antecedently fallen foul of France’s neighboring authorities authorities — aft The nationalist antitrust authority sewage progressive pursuing complaints by a number of publishers (including AFP) that it was failing to reasonably discuss pinch news publishers astir payments for reuse of their content.

That antitrust probe led connected to The title authority issuing Google pinch a good of complete half a cardinal dollars a small over 2 years ago. Google subsequently settled The dispute by offering a group of behavioral commitments complete really it would speech pinch publishers. And went connected to ink multi-year deals pinch AFP and different publishers to salary them for reuse of their content.

In X’s lawsuit a title it’s flouting The neighbouring authorities rule seems little apt to trigger an involution from The title authority fixed really — dissimilar Google — The Musk-owned societal media level does not clasp a ascendant position in wide hunt services. (Or even, arguably, in societal media, wherever a number of rival platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, person acold much users.)

Google had besides sought to straight circumvent The law’s request to discuss licensing position pinch publishers by announcing it would nary longer show immoderate of their news snippets crossed products specified arsenic Google Search and Google News unless they granted it free reuse of their content.

That unilateral effort to flight The law’s effect triggered a swift consequence from The title authority for suspected maltreatment of a ascendant position — including issuing Google pinch an interim order barring it from stopping displaying publishers’ news and mandating it participate into discussions astir remuneration.