Copyright law reform and the urgent need to support media publishers in view of the unreasonable negotiating positions of digital platforms such as Google

Priority question for written answer  P-001020/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Morten Løkkegaard (Renew)

Following the EU’s overhaul of copyright laws in 2019, publishers gained the right to compensation for snippets of content that appear on online platforms. Member States are still working on implementing the new Copyright Directive. Unfortunately, it is clear that media sectors in the Member States are suffering from a weak negotiating position when negotiating with enormously powerful digital gatekeepers such as Google.

In anticipation of the transposition of the directive, Google is forcing take-it-or-leave it deals on selected individual publishers based on the Google News Showcase product rather than the neighbouring right as enshrined in the Copyright Directive.

What was a copyright issue has become an anti-trust problem. There is an urgent need for coordinated EU efforts to prevent Google and other digital platforms from pressurising media publishers into accepting unfair deals.

Will the Commission address the issue of uneven negotiating positions between national media and digital gatekeepers such as Google?

How will the Commission ensure coordinated efforts among the Member States, including national competition authorities, to ensure fair negotiations for remuneration?

Will the Commission seek a mandate from Member States to be able to negotiate directly with Google and other digital platforms in order to enhance the negotiating positions of national media publishers?