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Summary
- Canada to introduce law requiring tech companies to pay for using content.
- Facebook blocks Australian news in content row but may face a similar situation in Canada.
- Some 10 to 15 countries may bring similar legislations in the coming months.
Social media giant Facebook may face a similar law in Canada following an Australian proposal that seeks to guarantee payments to news publishers for using their content on social media sites.
Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault told reporters on Thursday that Canada will propose a similar law in the coming months to protect the rights of its news organizations. Canada is among a first few countries that are asking the global tech companies to pay for using content, Mr. Guilbeault said.
Facebook has banned all Australian news content this week after running into a stalemate with Canberra over the issue. Both sides had been in discussion for several months.
Canadian publishers told last year that they can recover up to C$620 million a year from Facebook and other tech companies if they had a legal guarantee.
Why Governments Want Them To Pay?
The traditional media industry around the globe has been in decline for paucity of funds, shrinking readership base and struggles in coping up with the onslaught of new digital technologies.
Google, which also uses content on its sites, would require to pay if such a law is passed in Canada.
The search engine giant was also in talks with the Australian government. But it has not come out clear about what it intends to do next if the law follows through.
The proposed Australian law requires that news producers and tech companies make content-sharing agreements, but if they fail, the government will make a binding arbitration on their behalf.
Which Countries Want Similar Law?
The Canadian minister said that his government would also consider the Australian proposal before introducing a suitable legislation for the country. France, he said, also has a law that protects the rights of news publishers to negotiate on payments with the tech platforms. He said that 10 to 15 countries, including Canada, Australia, France, and Germany may adopt similar rules.
US media giant News Corp this week announced that it had signed a multi-year contract with Google for content-sharing. Also, Microsoft Inc has said that it will accept such an arrangement and welcomed the Australian government’s proposal.
