Spain Wants Google News Back

Spain has adopted a European Union copyright directive that allows third-party online news platforms to negotiate directly with content providers, setting the stage for Google ($GOOGL@US) News to return to the country. Google News, which links to third-party content, closed in Spain in late 2014 in response to legislation that forced it to pay a collective licensing fee to republish headlines or snippets of news. The EU legislation, which must be adopted by all member states, requires platforms such as Google ($GOOGL@US), Facebook ($FB@US), and others to share revenue with publishers, but it also removes the collective fee and allows them to reach individual or group agreements with publishers. Google said it wanted to bring its news services back to Spain but would closely analyze the law before making any firm commitment. Spain's Culture Ministry said the new law brought national copyright legislation into step with the digital environment and would help artists and creators to receive fair remuneration for their work. Some publishers represented by the AMI Media Association, which represents mainly the old guard of traditional media, were in favor of maintaining the old system. Others like Arsenio Escolar, chairman of the CLABE Publishers Association, were pleased with the new legislation, which he says allows media publishers to regain the reins of the management of our rights.