Australia passes news content law after battles with Facebook, Google - New York Post

Australia’s parliament officially passed a landmark law Thursday effectively forcing tech titans to pay for news content following intense public opposition from Facebook and Google.

The first-of-its-kind measure cleared its last hurdle when the parliament approved a set of amendments made to appease Facebook, which blocked Australian users from viewing or sharing news articles last week.

Aussie lawmakers said the law that’s set to go into effect will address the “bargaining power imbalance” between tech platforms and news publishers even though its final form gives Facebook and Google more leeway to negotiate.

One key change gave Frydenberg the discretion to decide that either Facebook or Google need not be subject to the code if they make a “significant contribution to the sustainability of the Australian news industry.”

The companies will also have more time to negotiate with publishers before they’re forced into deals through arbitration, a process in which a third party would decide on how much the tech platforms should pay

Rod Sims, the chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission who originally drafted the law, said the version lawmakers approved would accomplish its goal even if the tech giants take a while to make deals with publishers