France Orders Meta Back to Talks with News Publishers over Content Payments
The regulator called Meta’s way of pricing publisher fees a likely abuse of dominance, and started a 15-day clock.
Background
On Wednesday, France’s competition regulator ordered Meta to reopen negotiations with French news publishers regarding the payment for their content after an earlier round of talks collapsed. This comes after publishers complained and initiated discussions with the regulator.
Issue at Hand
The dispute centers around a European concept known as neighbouring rights, which allows news outlets to request payment when a platform utilizes their journalism. This issue has already led to a significant ruling against Meta at the EU’s top court.
French Media Groups Complain
A wide range of French media companies, including television networks, titles like Le Figaro and L’Express, as well as radio stations and regional newspapers, have voiced their grievances.
Regulator’s Stance
The regulator used strong wording, stating that Meta’s fee calculation method likely constitutes an abuse of dominant position, elevating the dispute from commercial negotiations to competition law with severe penalties.
France has a history of taking a firm stand on these issues, as evidenced by its fines against both Google and Meta in the past. It was also one of the first countries to implement the EU’s 2019 copyright directive into national law, enforcing it strictly.
Meta’s Challenges
This adds to Meta’s existing European legal battles, including a dispute over how it runs targeted advertising. The publisher row opens a new front in these ongoing conflicts.
The disagreement involves both money and method. Publishers argue that Meta is attempting to keep payments as low as possible, while the platform finds certain terms unworkable. Meta’s general attitude towards news content hasn’t helped its case, as it has de-emphasized news across its apps in recent years, claiming that most users don’t turn to Facebook for news.
Next Steps
The 15-day clock demands a concrete proposal from Meta, preventing further delay. The outcome hinges on whether the two sides can agree on financial terms. Failure to reach an agreement could result in significant fines based on the regulator’s abuse finding.
This decision has broader implications across the EU where neighbouring rights are also in place.