Exclusive St-Onge Breaks the News Industry Mold with $100M a Year Google Deal No Concessions Allowed.
The Canadian government has reached an agreement with Google under the Online News Act. That would see the tech giant pay publishers $100 million a year.
On Wednesday,Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge declared the “historic development” in the implementation of Bill C-18. Following the internet giant’s threat to restrict news on its platform when the contentious new laws take effect next month.
“We’ve found a way forward to address Google’s concerns about their process and the Act.” “Google wanted certainty about the amount of compensation it would have to pay to Canadian news outlets.” St-Onge stated in the House of Commons foyer, backed up by Liberal MPs.
According to the federal government. The funding would be linked to inflation and distributed. To a wide range of news businesses across the country. Including independent news businesses and those from Indigenous and official-language minority communities.”
Google will also be allowed to collaborate with a single collective to distribute this money to all.
Interested eligible news businesses. based on the number of full-time equivalent journalists employed.
So far nothing has been published about. What if any regulatory changes the federal government would make. With Canadian Heritage stating that it will not be allowed to share specifics about the finalised rules until they have been authorized by the Treasury Board prior to the Act taking effect.
According to St-Onge Canada has the ability to revisit the legislation. If better deals are reached in other countries. But for the time being what has been agreed upon “will established a fairer commercial relationship. Between digital platforms and in journalism and Canada.”
Following extensive discussions we are pleased that the Government of Canada has committed to addressing our core issues with Bill C-18. Which included the need for a streamlined path to an exemption at a clear commitment threshold,” said Kent Walker, Google and Alphabet’s President of Global Affairs.
“While we work with the government through the exemption process based on the regulations that will be published shortly. We will continue sending valuable traffic to Canadian publishers,” Walker said in a statement.
TRUDEAU CONTACTS META
Bill C-18, often known as the Online News Act. Establishes a structure for digital behemoths Google and Meta to make deals with Canadian news organisations to compensate them for hosting their journalistic material on their platforms.
When the measure was approved in June Google and Meta announced that rather than paying media organisations. They would restrict Canadian news on their platforms.
What exactly is Bill C-18? The Online News Act of Canada is described
This summer, Meta followed through on its promise, and the corporation continues to ban material from Canadian news sites on Facebook and Instagram, despite political and public pressure to do so.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lashed out at Meta, the only other firm that currently satisfies the bar for eligibility under the Online News Act, for its choice to withdraw news access rather than pay for it.
“Unfortunately, Meta continues to complete abdicate any responsibility towards democratic institutions and even stability, but we’re going to continue to work positively in those areas,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
reasonably comply with the Online News Act is by ending news availability for people in Canada,” an unnamed Meta spokesperson said in an email to CTV News.
WHAT WERE GOOGLE’S PRIORITIES?
Prior to this agreement, Google indicated(opens in a new tab) that, barring changes to the proposed federal regulations underlying the new rules, the search giant would follow Meta’s lead and remove links to Canadian stories from its Search and other products when the legislation takes effect on December 19.
According to The Canadian Press, citing a Canadian Heritage Department official, the final regulations will address Google’s concerns about the rules establishing linking to news sites as the basis for payment by clarifying that Google’s now-secured payment is about assisting publishers, not linking to news.
Along with this agreement, Canadian Heritage stated that Google will continue to provide programmes such as training and business development tools, as well as support for non-profit journalism projects,
According to a news industry lobbying group, Google’s reservations regarding the Online News Act are valid(opens in a new tab).
The federal government projected earlier this year that Google would have to pay $172 million(opens in a new tab) in yearly compensation to fulfil the proposed exemption standards, a number that the internet giant challenged.
Following a cabinet shift in July, St-Onge took over the controversial file from her predecessor and the bill’s proponent Pablo Rodriguez, allowing her to take the lead in recent months on the online news discussions with platforms.
On Wednesday she commended my predecessor for his efforts on the matter and stated that this agreement exemplifies. How under the “viable” Online News Act Canadian sites are “expected to see substantial financial support.
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