On a Wednesday, Agence France-Presse (AFP), a well-known French news agency, took legal action by filing a lawsuit in Paris against Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter. AFP accused the platform of refusing to engage in discussions concerning potential payment for the distribution of the news agency’s content on the platform.
This legal dispute is rooted in a copyright rule enacted by France in 2019, often referred to as “neighboring rights.” The rule applies to major online platforms, compelling them to open negotiations with publishers to provide compensation for the use of news content on their platforms.
In a statement, Agence France-Presse expressed its concerns over Twitter (now “X”) clearly refusing to participate in talks regarding the implementation of neighboring rights for the press. This refusal led to the decision to take the matter to court.
Elon Musk, the prominent figure behind X, responded to AFP’s move through a post on the social media platform. He criticized the news agency’s demand, stating that they want X to pay them for directing traffic to their site, where they generate advertising revenue, while X does not receive any compensation in return.
As of the report’s date, X had not provided any official comment in response to AFP’s lawsuit.
It’s worth noting that this is not the only instance of legal action taken against major tech companies concerning news publishers in France. In 2021, France’s antitrust watchdog imposed a substantial fine of 500 million euros on Alphabet’s Google for failing to comply with orders on how to conduct negotiations with the country’s news publishers. Google has since committed to resolving the dispute and reached agreements with AFP and several other leading French news organizations. Similarly, Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook) has also signed agreements with some French publishers to address similar issues. These actions reflect the ongoing efforts by various countries and news organizations to ensure fair compensation for the use of news content on digital platforms.
