In what was a first in Europe, Google and a group of French publishers agreed on Thursday to a framework over copyrights in which the multinational technology company would pay publishers for their online content. To date, Google has only signed individual agreements with a few publications such as national dailies Le Monde and Le Figaro.
Thursday’s agreement was concluded between Google and the French publishers’ lobby, Alliance de la Presse d’information générale (APIG). Google explained in a statement that the agreement covered an extensive range of criteria, ranging from monthly internet traffic to the daily volume of publications and even “contribution to political and general information”.
Certain aspects of the agreement remain undisclosed, including the calculation of remuneration for publishers and the amount of money that could be distributed to APIG members, which included national and local publishers.
The conclusion of this agreement came after months of bargaining between the tech giant and French news agencies and publishers, with much disagreement surrounding how revamped EU copyright rules should be applied.
