Google strikes payment deal with French media groups

Google said Thursday that it had signed “some individual agreements” on copyright payments with French newspapers and magazines after months of wrangling over the sharing of revenues from the display of news in search results.

Signatories to the deal included top French dailies Le Monde, Le Figaro and Liberation, as well as magazines like L’Express, L’Obs and Courrier International.

In a statement, Google France chief Sebastien Missoffe said talks with other media groups were continuing, with a goal of reaching “a framework agreement by the end of the year.”

The announcement came after a Paris appeals court ruled last month that the US giant must continue to negotiate with French news publishers over a new European law on so-called “neighbouring rights,” which calls for payment for showing news content with internet searches.