Google paying via News Showcase – not for links
Google has repeated that it will not pay for links but indicates that the company wants to use its recently launched service Google News Showcase as a way of paying publishers for using their content online. It says it wants such an agreement in Australia where the company argues against a proposed legislation and that a recent agreement with French publishers is based on paying for Google News Showcase
In a blog post, the company confirms that it wants to solve the argument with the Australian government by paying the country´s publishers via Google News Showcase that has been introduced in some countries where the company pays for access to publishers´ top stories.
Google referred to an recently announced agreement to pay French publishers saying that this agreement is also by using News Showcase. Very few details were mentioned when the French agreement was announced.
CLOSING SEARCH
In the blog, Google repeats the company will not pay for links. It also repeats its threat to close its search function in Australia if the proposed law is approved in its current form. The proposed law says big IT companies should pay for using publishers´ content online and if the parties cannot agree on the price, an independent panel would decide about pricing.
The blog post says that the earlier announced agreement with French publishers is based on Google News Showcase payments.
“We have offered (and signed ) deals for News Showcase in France and a dozen other countries, the same as what we’re proposing in Australia. We believe that these new agreements demonstrate that News Showcase can work as a solution to pay publishers within a framework set by regulators, without breaking Google Search or the open web.”
”We are willing to pay to support journalism, but how we do that matters. Instead of requiring payment for linking to websites, we have proposed a model where Google could pay Australian news businesses under this new Code through Google News Showcase”, the blog said adding that among 450 publications having signed up for the service are 25 titles in Australia.
ARBITRATION
Google says publishers get monthly licensing payments for content including for content behind paywalls.
Google argues against the proposed Australian law that says that if the parties cannot agree on the price, a independent panel will decide the pricing.
”Google News Showcase would be subject to this new law. That means if a publisher is discussing a News Showcase deal with Google, and they’re not happy with the negotiation, they could go to an arbitrator to resolve any disagreements.”
Google proposes “a standard commercial arbitration model for deals on News Showcase, one that would let arbitrators look at the comparable value of similar transactions, rather than an unpredictable process which looks at only one side’s costs and discounts the value Google provides publishers.”
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