CANBERRA (Reuters) – Australia will introduce relevant legislation next week to force Google and Alphabet Facebook to pay publishers and broadcasters for content, a senior government official said on Friday.
The legislation, which Google says will be “unfeasible,” will make Australia the first country to require Facebook and Google to pay for news content.
“The bill will now be examined by parliament from the week beginning February 15, 2021,” Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said in an emailed statement.
Legislation is being closely monitored around the world.
With the support of the bipartisan, it could come into force this month despite suspicions from Google, which says the law will force it to withdraw its search function.
Software giant Microsoft Corp said it was sure its Bing search product could fill the gap in Australia if Google withdrew.
Lucinda Longcroft, director of government affairs and public policy at Google in Australia and New Zealand, said the company had proposed amendments to a Senate inquiry, but they were rejected.
However, the company was still waiting to discuss the law with members of parliament.
“We look forward to working with policy makers through the parliamentary process to address our concerns and achieve a code that works for everyone: publishers, digital platforms and Australian companies and users,” Longcroft said in an email .
Facebook did not immediately respond to requests for comment when contacted by Reuters.
U.S. search and social media giants have pressured Australia to soften the legislation, with senior executives from both companies holding talks with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Frydenberg.
Last week, Google launched a platform in Australia that offered the news it has paid for, and you don’t need to get your own content deals with publishers to showcase the proposed legislation.
Last month, Reuters said it had signed an agreement with Google to be the world’s leading news provider on the Google News Showcase. Reuters is owned by news and information provider Thomson Reuters Corp.
Google and a pressure group of French publishers also agreed in January on a copyright framework for the technology company to pay news publishers for online content, the first for Europe.
Colin Packham Reports; Edited by Stephen Coates, Robert Birsel