Le Figaro reaches agreement on journalist compensation from neighbouring rights

Le Figaro Reaches Agreement on Journalist Compensation from Neighboring Rights

The management of Le Figaro, alongside prominent unions CFDT, CGC, and CGT, has successfully negotiated an agreement ensuring journalists receive 25% of the neighbouring rights revenue received by the publication. This agreement pertains to the use of Le Figaro’s content by tech giants Meta and Google. The announcement was made on Thursday, October 31.

The notion of neighbouring rights was extended to digital platforms in 2019, courtesy of a European directive. This legal provision allows newspapers, magazines, and news agencies to be financially compensated when their content, such as articles, photos, and videos, is repurposed by large web corporations.

Historically, the negotiation of neighbouring rights agreements has proven to be a challenging endeavour. However, framework agreements have been successfully established for several media outlets. Individual agreements have notably been concluded with publications such as Le Monde and Le Figaro. The funds received from these agreements, though confidential, are negotiated by the Alliance for General Information Press (APIG), as clarified by Marc Feuillée, the general director of Le Figaro Group. The APIG consists of nearly 300 publications.

The current internal agreement heralds the culmination of discussions that began in 2021. It stipulates the distribution of funds accrued from contracts with Meta and Google and is potentially reinforced by future agreements with other digital market players.

As part of this agreement, journalists at Le Figaro are to receive, retroactively, a payment of 2,900 euros for the period covering October 2019 through December 2023. Going forward, an additional payment of approximately 800 euros per journalist is anticipated for 2024 and subsequent years. The agreement is set to last until the end of 2025, providing both visibility and an opportunity for re-negotiation if required, according to Marc Feuillée.

While the agreement has been largely welcomed, with hopes for fair compensation for Le Figaro’s 550 press cardholders, there is some concern about future negotiations. Feuillée pointed out that with Google currently renegotiating with the APIG and Facebook to be renegotiated in 2025, future outcomes remain uncertain. Moreover, several American platforms, including X, have yet to fulfill their neighbouring rights obligations despite the legal mandate established five years ago. To address these issues, Feuillée advocates for the introduction of an arbitration mechanism.

However, not all parties are content with the agreement. The National Union of Journalists (SNJ) at Le Figaro expressed dissatisfaction, primarily over the definition of a journalist based on press card criteria rather than the labour code, as requested by the union. Additionally, the SNJ raises concerns over the high threshold for freelancers to access neighbouring rights, and contend that journalists effectively receive around 22.5% due to the 10% management fee imposed by Le Figaro. Despite these objections, the SNJ’s stance was a minority compared to the supportive sections of CGT and CFDT, leading to the agreement’s ratification.

In June, a parallel agreement was achieved at Le Monde, facilitating a similar return of 25% of neighbouring rights revenue to journalists for content usage by digital platforms, including the American startup OpenAI.

Source: Noah Wire Services