Google, AFP sign neighboring rights deal

Alphabet Inc.-owned Google LLC signed an agreement on the remuneration of neighboring rights with Agence France-Presse SA, or AFP, pertaining to the framework set by the French Competition Authority.

The deal will also include a program dedicated to fact-checking, among other projects, according to a Nov. 17 news release. The parties plan to provide more details soon.

The agreement will run for five years and will cover content in the EU. It will also include countries that have not implemented the directive on neighboring rights, according to a separate AFP report that cited AFP CEO Fabrice Fries.

The recent agreement is separate from a three-year French content deal that Google signed with members of the French publishing lobby group Alliance de la Presse d'Information Générale. Google also made earlier deals with multiple French publications, including Le Monde, Courrier International, L'Obs, Le Figaro, Liberation and L'Express.

In April 2020, France's competition authority ordered Google to negotiate with French publishers and news companies on reimbursing them for reusing their content.