Google Signs Deal To Pay For French News

Soon Google will begin paying Agence France-Presse for its news content as part of a broad five-year partnership announced Wednesday that marks one of the biggest licensing deals struck by a tech giant under a new French law.

News organizations, which have been losing ad revenue to online aggregators such as Google and Facebook, have complained for years about the tech companies using stories in search results or other features without payment, reported Reuters.

New laws in France and Australia – fueled by media lobbying and public pressure – have given publishers greater leverage, leading to a slew of licensing deals around the world collectively worth billions of dollars.

Related: France Says Google Broke Orders On Talks With Local News Publishers

The AFP accord follows France enacting a copyright law that creates “neighboring rights,” requiring big tech companies to open talks with news publishers that want a licensing payment.

Google declined to disclose financial terms of the deal, but confirmed it would run for five years. The companies said in a joint press release that they also will collaborate on projects, such as fact-checking.

“This agreement is a recognition of the value of information,” Fabrice Fries, Agence France-Presse’s chief executive, said in a statement.

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