Canada to Force Google, Facebook to Pay News Publishers
- Move comes after Australia introduced similar law last year
- Law to allow news firms to bargain as group with tech giants
The Canadian effort follows Australian legislation last year that demanded platforms pay local news publishers.
Photographer: David Gray/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Canada is planning a bill that would force tech companies to pay local news publishers for content, the latest move by a government to help struggling media companies that have seen online advertising revenue drain away to Silicon Valley’s digital giants.
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said he will introduce a bill called the Online News Act to ensure companies like Alphabet Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. compensate local news organizations for their content through privately-negotiated deals. The law could benefit listed Canadian companies such as Postmedia Network Canada Corp.