Lawsuit Filed by AFP Against Elon Musk’s Company X for Copyright Infringement

On Wednesday, AFP news agency initiated a copyright lawsuit in France against the social media giant Twitter, which has recently been rebranded as X. This legal action is part of a worldwide effort to compel technology companies to compensate for news content.

Media groups have long argued that their stories and images add value to platforms like X, Facebook and Google, meaning they should get a slice of the profits.

Their cause was boosted by a 2019 EU law that allowed payments for sharing content under a system known as “neighborhood rights,” and Google and Facebook eventually agreed to pay some French media outlets.

But AFP has accused X, which is owned by billionaire tycoon Elon Musk, of a “blatant refusal” to engage in discussions about neighboring rights.

AFP said in a statement that it had filed a lawsuit with a Paris judge to compel the platform to hand over information that would allow the French news agency to assess a fair compensation.

“As a leading advocate for embracing the rights of the press, the AFP remains unwavering in its commitment to the cause,” the statement said.

“The agency will continue to pursue appropriate legal avenues with each relevant platform to ensure a fair distribution of the value generated by sharing news content.”

Contacted by AFP, the company was not immediately available for comment.

While French media groups have made some gains, big tech companies have retreated strongly in other areas.

Meta blocked Facebook and Instagram users in Canada from seeing posts from news organizations this week because of a law requiring compensation for content.

Google has threatened to take similar actions.

Meta and Google also opposed similar proposals in Australia.

The two companies dominate online advertising and have been accused of taking money from traditional news organizations by using their content for free.

The X, as a much smaller platform, has not faced the same level of scrutiny.