Special French enforcement shows the necessity of effectively implementing the Publishers’ Right in Europe for all rightsholders, newspapers and magazine publishers alike. January 21 2021

Brussels, 21 January 2021

Special French enforcement shows the necessity of effectively implementing the Publishers' Right in Europe for all rightsholders, newspapers and magazine publishers alike.

It is an important first step that Google recognises the publishers' right for the members of the Alliance de la Presse d'Information Générale (APIG), who are part of the rightsholders in France.

This happens in consequence of a special provision in the French law, in agreement with the copyright directive, which obliges Google to remunerate the publishers' right.

It is now however of utmost importance that Google and other gatekeepers are obliged to recognize the right for all rightsholders, including newspapers and magazine and in the whole of Europe.

We therefore call on Member States to implement an effective right at national level.

Moreover, on EU level, it is indispensable that the DMA ensures that gatekeepers cannot make access to their platforms conditional to unfair terms and conditions.

A mechanism needs to be put in place which leads to an agreement about the remuneration of the right for all publishers.As such a provision is not in the DMA draft, the European Parliament and Member States are now called upon to amend the DMA accordingly. If not, the EU will hand over press freedom to the discretion of digital monopolies.

For further information, please contact:

Ilias Konteas

EMMA-ENPA Executive Director

[e-mail]

EMMA, the European Magazine Media Association, is the unique and complete representation of Europe's magazine media, which is today enjoyed by millions of consumers on various platforms, encompassing both paper and digital formats. EMMA represents 15,000 publishing houses, publishing 50,000 magazine titles across Europe in print and digital. See:www.magazinemedia.eu/

ENPA, the European Newspaper Publishers' Association is the largest representative body of newspaper publishers across Europe. ENPA advocates for 16 national associations across 13 European countries, and is a principal interlocutor to the EU institutions and a key driver of media policy debates in the European Union. See:www.enpa.eu/