Google to release $100m for Canadian journalism as part of a five-year exemption from the Online News Act
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has granted Google a five-year exemption from the Online News Act, as reported by BNN Bloomberg.
As part of the exemption requirements, Google must release $100m to Canadian news publishers within 60 days.
Google initially agreed to this annual payment, indexed to inflation, to avoid mandatory agreements with news publishers for reposted content under the act’s stipulations.
The CRTC confirmed that the Canadian Journalism Collective (CJC) will manage the distribution of these funds across eligible news outlets.
In its decision, the CRTC stated that Google has met the exemption criteria but added that the tech company should enable more news organizations to join the CJC.
In a public statement, the CRTC announced, “After reviewing the public record, the CRTC is granting a five-year exemption from the act to Google. Google must pay $100m to the (CJC) within 60 days of this decision. The CJC will then distribute the funds equitably to eligible Canadian news organizations.”
News Media Canada, representing hundreds of publishers, responded positively to the decision.
Paul Deegan, the president and CEO of News Media Canada, remarked, “The Online News Act is a world-leading regulatory framework that addresses the significant bargaining power imbalance between platforms and publishers when it comes to content licensing.”
Deegan also urged Meta, Facebook, and Instagram’s parent company, to follow Google’s example, stating, “We now call on Meta, whose platforms are more valuable with real news produced by real journalists, to follow Google’s socially responsible lead.”
In July, the Canadian Journalism Collective submitted its governance structure plans to the CRTC, outlining how it will equitably distribute Google’s funds to Canadian news organizations.
