Swiss media to receive money from Facebook and Co.
More and more media advertising revenue is flowing to Google, Facebook, and others. The Federal Council announced on Friday that the so-called ancillary copyright law is intended to ensure that some of that money flows back to the media in the future.
Against the backdrop of initial experiences abroad, the Federal Council is planning suitable regulation for Switzerland as well. It has instructed the Department of Justice FDJP, in cooperation with the Federal Office of Communications Bakom and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs Seco, to examine how a bill for the protection of journalistic publications could be specifically designed. A consultation draft is to be presented by the end of 2022.
In short, online giants will in future have to pay Swiss media a levy for the distribution of their content. The Federal Council considers this "fundamentally justified," as it writes. For the Federal Council, it is important that "smaller media publishers and media professionals should also benefit.
No alternative to the media package
She has long been of the opinion that the large Internet corporations should pay for the services of the domestic media, Media Minister Simonetta Sommaruga told the media in Bern at the beginning of the month. She said the groups also make money by displaying snippets of text and articles from newspapers. "So they earn money with services that they didn't provide at all, but the editorial offices did."
Sommaruga made it clear, however, that the ancillary copyright was not an alternative to the media subsidy package, which will be put before the people on February 13. It would be years before new regulations could come into force.
First successes in the EU
When revising copyright law in 2019, Parliament had refrained from introducing a performance protection right for journalistic media. Among other things, it wanted to wait for developments in the EU.
Two and a half years ago, the EU introduced a copyright regulation to protect journalistic publications. In the report now published, the Federal Council states "that the ancillary copyright in the EU should increasingly lead to journalistic media actually being compensated for their services".
In France, implementation of the ancillary copyright has progressed furthest. Under pressure from the competition authority, the first agreements have now been concluded between Internet platforms and journalistic media. Corresponding developments are also taking place in Germany. (SDA)
