Agence France-Presse (AFP), a prominent news agency, has initiated legal action against X, previously known as Twitter and currently owned by entrepreneur Elon Musk.
The lawsuit stems from a copyright dispute, with AFP, alleging that X has refused to engage in discussions regarding compensation for the sharing of its news content on the platform.
Neighboring Rights
At the heart of the disagreement are neighboring rights for the press, which aim to ensure fair remuneration for news agencies and publishers when their content is distributed on digital platforms.
AFP contends that X's refusal to address these rights prompted the legal action in order to seek an urgent injunction, compelling the platform to provide the necessary information for calculating appropriate compensation under France's neighboring rights legislation.
"As a leading advocate for the adoption of neighboring rights for the press, AFP remains unwavering in its commitment to the cause, even four years after the law's adoption. The legal proceedings initiated against Twitter today are in line with this ongoing commitment," the news agency wrote in an official press release.
"The Agency will continue to employ the appropriate legal means with each relevant platform to ensure the fair distribution of the value generated by the sharing of news content."
Elon Musk, the owner of X, has publicly responded to the legal action, expressing his perplexity at the demand for payment from a platform that supposedly does not generate advertising revenue from the shared content.
Musk wrote: "This is bizarre. They want us to pay *them* for traffic to their site where they make advertising revenue and we don't!?"
X Sues Anti-hate Group
In related news, X has also taken legal action against the anti-hate group, The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). The lawsuit accuses CCDH of engaging in illegal activities and unauthorized access to X Corp's data.
CCDH claims that Elon Musk, the owner of X Corp, is attempting to suppress free expression and silence critics. This has drawn significant attention, with Congress representatives, civic society members, and IT community experts all sharing their opinions on the matter.
Amidst concerns of hatred and misinformation spreading on the platform, critics argue that Musk's legal action against CCDH contradicts his professed beliefs of being a "free speech absolutist" and raises questions about Twitter's procedures for curbing harmful content.
Elon Musk received a letter from Lori Trahan, Adam Schiff, and Sean Casten, expressing concerns about the lawsuit he filed against CCDH, arguing that it may hinder independent research and raise questions about free expression.
CCDH asserts that X Corp's legal action aims to silence opponents and divert attention from its own studies. They further criticize Musk's ownership, suggesting that it has led to inadequate handling of hate speech and misinformation on the platform.
In response to accusations of unauthorized access to X Corp's data, CCDH maintains that its research procedures were appropriate and denies any wrongdoing.
On the other hand, X Corp's legal team claims that CCDH's findings have resulted in significant financial losses, amounting to "tens of millions of dollars" in lost advertising income.
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