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Australian focus on app stores

Australian law approved but definitions remain unsolved

Australia’s parliament has as expected passed the “media code” regulating payments from tech platforms to publishers. After protests from Google and Facebook, the law was modified exempting tech firms that make a “significant contribution” to the news industry. The definition of such “significant contributions” will for sure be a discussion especially as the Australian legislation has been seen as a test-case for other countries´ relationship between big tech and publishers.

Google and Facebook will interpret direct agreements paying some publishers to reach such levels and be exempted. Google has, in Australia and other countries, started paying some publishers for contributing content to its newly launched service Google News Showcase.

Facebook has launched its news tag in the US and UK saying it is coming also in other countries and that publishers will be paid for content to the news tag. When testing the service in the US, Facebook paid invited publisher saying that others could also contribute content but would not be paid. However, Facebook said, they will anyway benefit from more traffic to their sites.

Both Google and Facebook have announced that they over the coming three years will spend USD 1 billion each on agreements with publishers.

France was the first EU country to implement the Union´s new copyright directive instructing tech platforms to negotiate payments with publishers. Google has announced agreements with some for contributions to the News Showcase. Those not included say the company has not negotiated fair and are protesting that only some will get paid.

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