In the past few weeks, Google has made more than 400 offers to Austrian press publishers. The reason for this is legal changes in search queries on news topics.
If you currently enter a query on a current news topic on Google, you will see a sentence summarizing the article in addition to the headline. From April 1st, Google may only bring this extended preview if the publisher from whose website the message originates agrees and receives a fee for it. The background to this is the copyright amendment that was passed last year. An ancillary copyright was introduced therein. Anyone who uses content without sufficient permission must expect sanctions from April 1st.
Now Google Austria Director Christine Antlanger-Winter is negotiating with the local publishing houses how much Google has to pay in order to be able to continue to bring the short summary from the news articles. The offers vary considerably, but reach into the six-figure range. According to a blog post by Antlanger-Winter, the amount depends on how often a news website appears on Google and how much ad revenue can be generated by third-party advertisers. If a publishing house does not reach an agreement with Google, only the headline and link will be displayed for its articles from April 1st.
Overall, Google generated $4.5 million in revenue from ad clicks on news-related searches in 2020. However, these inquiries accounted for less than two percent. The Association of Austrian Newspapers (VÖZ) is meanwhile combative: One is interested in a “clean implementation of the copyright amendment”, said President Markus Mair. The ancillary copyright must remain an essential part of the refinancing of media houses. The VÖZ wants to follow the activities “of market-dominating online services” closely. If necessary, checks are also carried out by the Federal Competition Authority.
Source: Nachrichten
