Google protests, says the regulation ignores 'billions of clicks'
that it sends to Australian news publishers each year.
Australia will
force U.S. tech giants Facebook
Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google to pay Australian media outlets for news content
in a landmark move to protect independent journalism that will be watched
around the world.Australia will become the first country to require Facebook
and Google
to pay for news content provided by media companies under a royalty-style
system that will become law this year, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said.
"It's about a
fair go for Australian news media businesses. It's about ensuring that we have
increased competition, increased consumer protection, and a sustainable media
landscape," Frydenberg told reporters in Melbourne.
"Nothing less
than the future of the Australian media landscape is at stake."
The move comes as
the tech giants fend off calls around the world for greater regulation, and a
day after Google and Facebook took a battering for alleged abuse of market
power from U.S. lawmakers in a congressional hearing.
Following an
inquiry into the state of the media market and the power of the U.S. platforms,
the Australian government late last year told Facebook and Google to negotiate
a voluntary deal with media companies to use their content.
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