Canada proposes law on revenue sharing between Google, Facebook and news outlets as India's wait continues
-
Loading... - Laura McLean
- 26 May 2022
- 283 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Digital news publishers in India will be buoyed by a recent proposal in Canada on revenue sharing by digital news intermediaries. The Canadian government has tabled legislation that aims to bring about fairness in sharing of revenue between digital news publishers and intermediary platforms such as Google and Facebook.
Digital news intermediaries are platforms on which readers can access content provided by news media websites. India Today takes a look at what the contention is worldwide and how news publishers in India are impacted.
WHAT THE CANADIAN PROPOSAL STATES
Canada’s Online News Act, introduced in the country's parliament as Bill C-18 on April 5, seeks to regulate digital news intermediaries in order to enhance fairness in the Canadian digital news marketplace. The Act “establishes a framework, through which digital news intermediary operators and news businesses may enter into agreements, respecting news content that is made available by digital news intermediaries”.
The bill essentially requires digital platforms to make fair commercial deals with news providers.
The features of the Online News Act are as follows:
· Ensure fair revenue sharing between digital platforms and news providers
· Provides for collective bargaining by news outlets
· Promote voluntary commercial agreements between digital platforms and news outlets, with minimal government intervention
· Establish a mandatory arbitration framework where digital platforms and news outlets cannot reach commercial agreements
The Canadian act mandates that tech giants such as Google and Facebook, which function as digital media intermediaries, make fair commercial deals with news outlets for the content and information shared on their platforms. These deals would involve fair disbursal of compensation, respect for journalistic independence, and investment in a variety of Canadian news outlets, including independent local businesses. The Act enables big and small media outlets to bargain collectively. Read More…
