Google agrees to pay Italian publisher for news

According to details, the deal will give the Italian publishers access to the ‘Google News Showcase’ which is a global programme to pay news outlets for their content online.

The Showcase is expected to launch in Italy in the coming weeks.

Google in a statement said, "Signed on an individual basis, these agreements represent an important step in Google's relationship with Italian publishers by remunerating the publishers".

CEO of Google Italy Fabio Vaccarono stated that these agreements represent an important step forward and confirm Google's commitment to numerous Italian publishers.

Google's agreements were signed with a number of Italian publishers, including ‘RCS Mediagroup’, ‘Corriere della Sera’ as well as popular sports daily ‘Gazzetta dello Sport’.

Earlier in February, the Australian parliament passed the 'News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code' which made it compulsory for global digital platforms to pay media companies for showing Australian news content.

Facebook and Google were the main targets of the legislation and both fiercely opposed in return for agreeing to pay local media companies.

However, the law easily passed after tech firms reached agreements to pay country's news organizations to avoid being subjected to tough mandatory bargaining rules under the regulation.