French Newspapers Take Legal Action Against X Over Neighboring Rights

What are neighboring rights?

In today's digital age, the relationship between traditional media and digital platforms is becoming increasingly complex. Recently, major French newspapers, including Le Monde, Le Figaro, and Le Parisien, have collectively decided to take legal action against a company referred to as X over neighboring rights. But what exactly are neighboring rights, and why have these newspapers taken such a drastic step? Let's delve into this issue and understand the implications.

The legal action taken by French newspapers

Neighboring rights, also known as related rights, are a set of exclusive rights granted to performers, producers, and broadcasters in relation to their performances, recordings, and broadcasts. These rights play a crucial role in protecting the interests of the creators and performers. In the context of the digital era, neighboring rights are particularly relevant when it comes to online platforms that use content created by others. Platforms like Google, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook are among those affected by these rights.

Implications for emerging technologies and businesses

The collective legal action taken by French newspapers against X is a result of their dissatisfaction with how the company has been handling neighboring rights. Under EU law, digital platforms are required to negotiate with content creators, including newspapers, and reach an agreement on the use of their content. However, it seems that X has failed to comply with these requirements, leading to the legal action.