Australia passes law that will make Google, Facebook pay for news
Australia's laws forcing Google and Facebook to pay for
news are ready to take effect, though the laws' architect said it will take
time for the digital giants to strike media deals.
The Parliament on Thursday passed amendments to the so-called News
Media Bargaining Code agreed between Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Facebook chief
executive Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday.
In return for the changes, Facebook agreed to
lift a ban on Australians accessing and sharing news.
Rod Sims, the competition regulator who drafted the code, said he
was happy that the amended legislation would address the market imbalance
between Australian news publishers and the two gateways to the internet.
All signs are good, Sims told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
The purpose of the code is to address the market power that
clearly Google and
Facebook have. Google and Facebook
need media, but they don't need any particular media company, and that meant
media companies couldn't do commercial deals, the Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission chair added.
The rest of the laws had passed earlier, so they can now be
implemented.
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