Google will start paying French news publishers for their content with new copyright deal

Google France today came to a revenue sharing agreement(via CNBC) with the French Alliance de la Presse d'Information Générale, an organization representing news publishers in France. Both groups have now agreed on a process for paying news publishers on varied criteria including "daily volume of publications or the monthly Internet audience."

Pierre Louette, CEO of the Les Echos - Le Parisien Group and, President of the Alliance de la Presse d'Information Générale, said in a statement:

After long months of negotiations, this agreement is an important step, which marks the effective recognition of the neighboring right of press publishers and the start of their remuneration by digital platforms for the use of their online publications.

Sébastien Missoffe, Managing Director of Google France added:

This agreement is a major step for Google. It confirms our commitment to press editors within the framework of French law on neighboring rights. It opens up new perspectives for our partners, and we are happy to contribute to their development in the digital age and support journalism.

The arrangement also provides a framework for Google to use when negotiating agreements with publishers for their participation in News Showcase. News Showcase was announced last year by Google as a way to give back to the news industry (and also in response to rulings by Australian and European bodies demanding that they remunerate news publishers for content they republished.)

The company had set aside $1 billion for news partnerships in Brazil, Australia, and Germany among others, but it had always planned to expand this to more countries than the initial list.

Google's Sundar Pichai said at the time:

Alongside other companies, governments, and civic societies, we want to play our part by helping journalism in the 21st century not just survive, but thrive.