The regulator ordered Meta to provide, within 15 days, the data necessary to calculate potential payments. It warned that the company’s actions could be deemed an abuse of its dominant market position.
According to Euronews, the investigation was prompted by complaints from the two largest industry associations—DVP, which manages the related rights of publishers and news agencies, and APIG, which represents about 300 French newspapers and online publications.
Their agreements with Meta expired in late 2024 and early 2025. The parties were unable to agree on new terms. As a result, as the regulator notes, content from French media outlets continues to appear on Meta’s platforms, but publishers no longer receive payment for it.
The French authorities took particular issue with the company’s decision to negotiate only regarding content that users post on Facebook. Instagram and Threads were excluded from the discussions. According to the regulator, this approach undermines the very idea of European rules on related rights.
These rules are in effect in France based on the 2019 EU Copyright Directive. They require digital platforms to pay publishers and news agencies for the use of their journalistic content.
Disputes between French authorities and major tech companies have been ongoing for several years. In 2024, Google was fined 250 million euros for violating its obligations regarding negotiations on related rights and for using media content to train artificial intelligence systems without properly notifying publishers.
