The Australian Competition Association said on Thursday it had issued a proposal to authorize the regional newspaper group, Country Press Australia, to negotiate with Google and Facebook for the payment of news content on their forums.
Country Press Australia (CPA) is seeking approval to allow its members to enter into a payment agreement with Google and Facebook for the use of media content on technology platforms, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said.
The CPA represents 81 media publishers who publish about 160 regional newspapers across the country.
Google, Facebook to deal with conversations with Media Group
“Allowing 160 publishers to interact with Google and Facebook should help to resolve the existing power imbalances between these digital companies and these media outlets,” ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said in a statement.
The proposed approval, which will expire after ten years, follows the temporary approval granted by the ACCC to the CPA in April to begin negotiations.
Earlier this year, Australia passed a law that authorized US technicians to pay media companies for news content on their platforms.
