Our negotiations in France for Neighbouring Rights
We've been working closely with publishers and news agencies over the past few months, including through numerous meetings and discussions, to propose an offer that complies with the law. This is evidenced by our framework agreement with the
Alliance de la Presse d’Information Générale which covers neighbouring rights. So far, Google is the only company to have
announced agreements with press publishers in France and is one of the world’s
biggest financial supporters of journalism.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve heard several incorrect and misleading statements about these negotiations. As we continue to work constructively with the French Competition Authority, publishers and press agencies to resolve their concerns, we wanted to provide the facts here:
Fact: Discussions with publishers continue
We continue to discuss the situation regularly with publishers, press agencies and with the French Competition Authority. We also continue to execute on the agreements signed over the past few months. Following a report from the French Competition Authority in February, we have proposed updates and await their feedback in order to make new deals.
Fact: Google recognizes neighboring rights
The many agreements we have already signed in France are
inclusive of a publisher’s neighboring rights as acknowledged by
publishers.
Fact: Google negotiates with press agencies as well as publishers
News agencies already get paid when they syndicate their content to press publishers, many of whom have deals with Google that include remuneration for neighboring rights. Further payment for this content would mean having to pay for the same content several times. However, we already have deals in place
globally, and have made several offers to Press agencies in France.
Fact: Google wants to make deals with more publishers
It was suggested that Google won’t negotiate with publishers who don’t have IPG (Information Politique et Générale) certification. IPG is the government certification for press publishers that dedicate a majority of their content to political and general news. The law says to take such criteria into account when making offers, so that’s why we have focused there. However, we’re open to discussions with more publishers.
Fact: Publishers choose which of our products to use
It has been suggested that because we have agreements for Subscribe with Google with some publishers who also participate in News Showcase, these are “mandatory” for Publishers. The truth is that those products are distinct, and it's entirely up to the publisher to decide if they want to participate in News Showcase, or other products like Subscribe with Google.
We created News Showcase to further contribute to the sustainability of news publishers, help them benefit from increased traffic to their sites and develop an even closer relationship with readers.
Nearly 600 publications from more than a dozen countries are now part of Showcase, with publishers in countries where it has launched
seeing value from the product.
Over the past 20 years, we’ve
collaborated closely with the news industry and provided billions of dollars to support a sustainable, independent, and diverse news ecosystem. We are committed to continuing these discussions based on the facts.
Posted by Arnaud Monnier, Managing Director, Platforms and Partners, Google France
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