In Australia, Congress has passed a bill that effectively requires payment of royalties when IT giants such as Google display news articles.
According to the local government, it is the first time in the world that the law requires payment of article usage fees.
The Australian government says that the news media are being forced out of business due to the sharp decrease in advertising revenue due to the spread of the Internet, and the fact that IT majors such as Google and Facebook pay the usage fee when displaying the articles of the news media Above, we have been aiming to pass the mandatory bill.
After deliberation, the bill was passed by both the House of Representatives and the House of Representatives by the 25th, and will be passed.
According to the Australian government, it is the first time in the world that the law requires payment of article royalties, and the government said in a statement, "Journalism is in the public interest, allowing the press to get fair compensation. It will lead to the maintenance of. "
Facebook has taken steps last week to prevent Australian media outlets from posting articles on Facebook, following a series of backlashes from tech giants over the bill.
Facebook announced this week that it would withdraw its countermeasures after the government revised the bill, saying, "If the IT giant and the media have individual contracts, consider whether to apply the law." doing.
While Google has also signaled a suspension of search services in Australia, the future focus will be on the outlook of IT giants, who have contracts with multiple local media to pay for articles.
Australia ABC "To set an international precedent"
"IT giants have made a profit by using news media information for free," said Gevin Morris, director of the Australian public broadcaster ABC, who was interviewed by NHK before the bill was passed. It's time to think about ways to regain value for the media and journalists who have been disseminating information. "
He pointed out that in Australia, especially in many local TV stations and newspapers, the sharp drop in advertising revenue has put them in financial trouble, and said they would support the bill.
"The bill, which may be just a small move in the ocean from a global perspective, is a major step forward in improving the unequal relationship between IT giants and the press," Morris said. What happened in Australia this time should set an international precedent, and Google and Facebook would be afraid of it, "he said, adding that a similar system could spread across countries.