French Publishers Unite Against X / X Faces Legal Battle in France Over News Reuse
Matilda
French Publishers Unite Against X / X Faces Legal Battle in France Over News Reuse
In a rare display of unity, major French newspapers, including Le Monde, Le Figaro, and Le Parisien, have initiated legal proceedings against X, formerly known as Twitter. The publishers are seeking compensation for the reuse of their news content on the platform. This legal action is rooted in the European Union's neighboring rights law, which mandates that digital platforms negotiate fair compensation with publishers for the reuse of their news content. While both Meta and Google have reached agreements with French publishers, X has thus far refused to engage in such negotiations. The Core Issue: Uncompensated News Reuse The crux of the issue lies in how X leverages news content. The platform frequently displays news article previews, often accompanied by links to the original source. While this practice can drive traffic to news publishers' websites, it also presents a significant challenge: the lack of fair compensation for the value generated by the platform's use of the…
