French press set to act against Google over refusal to pay

PARIS: French media said on Thursday they would drag Google before the country’s competition regulator over its refusal to pay news companies for displaying their content in defiance of a strict new EU copyright law. The APIG press alliance, which groups dozens of national, regional and local newspapers, said it would also press the French government to take action against the US internet giant. International news agency Agence France-Presse, which is not a member of the alliance, said it was preparing a separate complaint. France in July became the first country to ratify a new EU copyright law which was passed this year and comes into force on Thursday to ensure publishers are compensated when their work is displayed online.

The new rules create so-called neighbouring rights to ensure a form of copyright protection for media firms when their content is used on websites such as search engines or social media platforms.

But Google has said articles, pictures and videos would be shown in search results only if media firms consent to let the tech giant use them for free.

If they refuse, only a headline and a bare link to the content will appear, Google said, almost certainly resulting in a loss of visibility and potential ad revenue for the publisher.

On Wednesday, about 800 journalists, photographers, filmmakers and media CEOs signed an open letter published in newspapers across Europe urging governments to ensure that Google and other tech firms comply with the new EU rule.