French Publishers Reach Deal With Facebook on Neighboring Rights

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – France’s Alliance for the General Information Press (APIG) said on Thursday they have reached a licensing agreement with Facebook regulating the use of their copyrighted content.

"I am very pleased to reach this agreement, which is the result of a frank and fruitful dialogue between publishers and a leading digital platform. The terms we have reached will allow Facebook to apply the directive and French law while generating significant funding for Alliance publishers, especially the smallest. This first step in the concrete implementation of neighboring rights shows that solidarity between publishers is essential to effectively defend their interests," APIG President Pierre Louette said.

In January 2022, the social network will launch in France a special information platform, Facebook News, and the deal it has just signed will allow national publishers to participate therein, according to the statement.

APIG is a group of national and regional media outlets. Facebook reached similar agreements with newspapers Le Monde and Le Figaro earlier in October, agreeing to pay compensation for the use of their content online while preserving their copyright in line with French law.