Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

CTOnews.com, July 10 (Xinhua) California lawmakers are pushing for a bill called AB 886, which requires large technology companies like Google and Meta to pay a fee for using the content of news publishers. The bill is expected to change California's journalism, but it has been blocked by technology companies.

CTOnews.com notes that around the world, news publishers are opposing the free use of their content on large platforms. These platforms get content from publishers without paying any fees. News organizations say this business model led to their bankruptcy. They need to make money from their own content to cover their daily expenses. Technology companies, on the other hand, argue that they direct viewers to publishers' websites for free.

At present, only the EU has succeeded in forcing Google to reach a settlement with European publishers. In addition, Australia's parliament forces large technology companies to pay $200 million to news publishers. Of course, there are voices of opposition. Meta threatened to remove news from Facebook and Instagram if Canada forced them to pay for the use of publishers' content.

California's AB Act now aims to reconcile large technology companies with the state's news organizations. The bill requires major social platforms to share advertising revenue with the organizations from which they get news, and the money will go into a fund pool where each news organization can get a fair share through arbitration.

The bill is supported by California's two main news unions, the Western Media Association and the Pacific Media Workers Association. Other media organizations in the state are also sure to support the bill because it brings new sources of funding for their businesses.

AB 886 will be heard before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 11 and was passed by Congress on June 1 with bipartisan support. The news media eligible for the fund must spend 70 per cent of their money on newsroom work, which means they will not fire any journalists to cut costs and may create new jobs. In addition, the news media must be transparent about the amount of funds they receive and how they are spent.

Unsurprisingly, big technology companies are not satisfied with AB 886 and similar bills. It remains to be seen how AB 886 takes effect in California, and it remains to be seen whether big technology companies will agree to pay reasonable fees to news organizations.

Welcome to subscribe "Shulou Technology Information " to get latest news, interesting things and hot topics in the IT industry, and controls the hottest and latest Internet news, technology news and IT industry trends.