Elon Musk owned X sued by AFP in copyright case

• Image Credit: Google

• Aug 3, 2023 | Dhupali Das

News agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) has taken legal action against X...

Digital Desk: News agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) has taken legal action against X, formerly known as Twitter, the social media platform owned by tech mogul Elon Musk, over alleged copyright infringement. The lawsuit aims to compel the social media giant to compensate AFP for displaying its content on the platform.

As a country within the European Union, France operates under the "neighbouring rights" system, which requires tech companies such as Google and Facebook to pay certain news organizations for sharing their content. Despite this, X has seemingly disregarded the matter, prompting the AFP to seek judicial intervention.

In a statement issued by AFP, the news agency expressed its determination to employ all necessary legal measures with relevant platforms to ensure fair compensation for the value generated through the sharing of news content. The lawsuit demands that X provide relevant data to help AFP determine the appropriate amount it can claim for the content displayed on the platform.

The dispute comes at a time when Meta, the parent company of X, has recently taken drastic measures in response to similar legislation in other countries. Notably, this week saw Meta block access to news content for Canadian-based users following its opposition to Canada's Online News Act. The act required major tech players to pay news publishers for displaying their content on social media or search platforms.

The situation has sparked debates among publishers and social media platforms worldwide on whether the relationship between social networks and news organizations truly benefits the latter's revenue or if it, in fact, has the opposite effect.

The issue of compensating news publishers for the use of their content on digital platforms has been a contentious one for several years. The rise of social media and search engines has significantly impacted traditional media revenue streams, leading to a growing concern about the fair distribution of value in the digital age.

AFP's legal action against X marks a significant step in the ongoing battle for fair compensation and recognition of the contributions news organizations make to these platforms. The outcome of this lawsuit could set a crucial precedent for how tech giants interact with news publishers in the future.

The case will now go before the Paris court, where the judge will evaluate the merits of AFP's claims and the relevance of the "neighbouring rights" system within the context of X's operations. Both parties are expected to present their arguments, and the court's ruling will shape the landscape of copyright and compensation for news content on social media platforms.