Spain adopts EU copyright law, paving the way for the return of Google News

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MADRID, Nov 2 (Reuters) – Spain has adopted a European Union copyright directive that allows third-party online news platforms to negotiate directly with content providers, the government said Tuesday, setting the stage for Google. Alphabet news (GOOGL.O) return to the country.

Google News, which links to third-party content, was shut down in Spain in late 2014 in response to legislation that forced it to pay a collective license fee to republish headlines or news snippets.

EU legislation, which must be adopted by all member states, requires platforms such as Google, Facebook (FB.O) and others to share revenue with publishers, but it also removes the collective fee and allows them to reach agreements. individual or group with editors.

Google has said it wants to bring its news services back to Spain, but will carefully analyze the law before making any firm commitments.

“Based on initial information … the conditions look promising for the potential launch of Google News in Spain. However, we will need to see the final law before making any formal announcements,” a spokesperson said in an email.

Spain’s Ministry of Culture said the new law brought national copyright legislation up to date with the digital environment and would help artists and creators receive fair remuneration for their work.

Arsenio Escolar, president of the CLABE publishers’ association, which brings together about 1,000 newspapers, including major digital brands such as El Espanol and Eldiario.es, said he was satisfied with the new legislation.

“We are satisfied because the editors of the media have taken over the reins of the management of our rights, hijacked a few years ago by a law that we at CLABE have always considered unjust and harmful”, he said in an email to the associates.

Reuters reported in February that some publishers represented by the media association AMI, which mainly represents the old guard of traditional media, were in favor of maintaining the old system. to know more

AMI declined to comment on Tuesday.

Reporting by Nathan Allen and Emma Pinedo; Editing by Susan Fenton and Gareth Jones

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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