Google and Agence France-Presse announced on Wednesday that they have signed an unprecedented European agreement under which the internet giant will pay the international news agency a financial amount over five years in exchange for its content used by its search engine. This significant step concluded 18 months of negotiations between the two parties, with the precise financial amount to be received by Agence France-Presse from Google remaining undisclosed.
This is the first agreement of its kind concluded by a news agency under the European directive on "related rights to copyright," which was approved by the European Union in March 2019. In the same year, France became the first country to adopt this European directive into national law.
Agence France-Presse produces journalistic materials including news bulletins, images, videos, and interactive graphics, distributing them to its global subscribers in six languages.
**Culmination of a Long Struggle**
Frais added, "This is the culmination of a long struggle" that began during the negotiations on the European directive regarding related rights. The CEO of Agence France-Presse stated, "We fought for news agencies to be fully qualified. The difference with commercial partnerships is that an agreement under related rights is meant to be sustainable."
Sebastian Missoff, the General Director of Google France, told reporters at Agence France-Presse, "We are signing this agreement to turn the page and move forward. We are here to demonstrate that the parties can coexist and that we have reached a solution."
The signing of this agreement came after negotiations between the two parties had nearly stalled during the summer. The General Director of Google in France added that signing this agreement "allows us to open up other topics."
**Combating Misinformation**
The two companies stated in a joint announcement that the agreement on related rights is expected to be complemented "very soon" by "a program related to combating misinformation." Under this program, Agence France-Presse will particularly provide training courses across several continents on how to verify information's accuracy.
The European Union aims to ensure that media institutions receive fair compensation for the dissemination of their content on various online platforms.