Tech

Bernard Arnault, Europe’s Richest Man, Sues Elon Musk for Neighboring Rights

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A lawsuit against Elon Musk's X, accusing the US billionaire’s micro-blogging platform of violating French neighboring rights law.

On November 13, French media giants, including Bernard Arnault’s media publications, filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk’s X, accusing the US billionaire’s micro-blogging platform of violating French neighboring rights law, according to The Times.

French publishers, including allege that X has failed to negotiate terms for republishing their content and disregarded a May 2024 court ruling requiring transparency on revenue generated from shared news.

French publications, including Les Echos, Le Parisien, Le Monde, and Le Figaro, filed the lawsuit on November 14, against X (FKA Twitter) for unauthorized use of their content without any compensation by the social platform. The publications allege that X has not negotiated terms for republishing their material, ignoring a May 2024 Paris tribunal court order mandating transparency on revenue generated from their news outlets.

The lawsuit marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing conflict between traditional media and digital platforms over fair compensation for content use.

This legal dispute highlights broader challenges with neighboring rights in copyright and tech giants’ obligations to comply with intellectual property laws. It also highlights growing dissatisfaction within the publishing industry over the lack of fair-revenue agreements.

Media groups argue that X’s failure to comply with the ruling indicates a deliberate disregard for legal obligations. Plaintiffs emphasized this in their statement, saying “this shows it intends to continue violating the law.”

This lawsuit follows a similar complaint filed by AFP against X, with a hearing scheduled for May 2025. The cases reflect a growing trend among media organizations to take legal action against technology platforms over unpaid use of their content, further stoking the debate around neighboring rights copyright law.

A Wider Digital Battle

Neighboring rights EU copyrights have long been a contentious issue between French publishers and US based technology companies. While agreements were reached with Meta in 2021 and Google in 2022, tensions reignited in March 2023 when the French Competition Authority fined Google €250 million for failing to honor its commitments.

The recent lawsuit by French newspapers against X for unauthorized content use, according to The Times, could birth more legal confrontations between Bernard Arnault and Elon Musk.

Bernard Arnault, Europe’s wealthiest businessman and owner of several prominent French publications, has seen his net worth drop due to a slowdown in the luxury market, representing a significant shift in force in European business circles.

Adding to the complexity, regional French media groups also filed a lawsuit last week against Microsoft, alleging similar copyright violations. These cases collectively emphasize the growing acrimony over neighboring rights Europe VS US, as European publishers demand accountability from U.S.-based tech giants.

Social Platform’s Behavior Dictating Future of Neighboring Rights

The wave of lawsuits is yet another dissatisfaction among traditional media companies with unpaid content use by digital platforms. These legal actions are not merely isolated incidents but part of a larger push advocating for stricter enforcement of neighboring rights agreements and a fairer digital content ecosystem.

This escalating battle questions the future of intellectual property, digital content distribution, and the technology platforms’ responsibility towards media outlet. The ruling of this case with likely have a consequential influence on the global dialogue on intellectual property and fair compensation from social platforms in the years to come.

The outcomes could significantly influence global copyright frameworks, ensuring a more balanced and sustainable partnership between traditional media and technology platforms. For now, the battle rages on, with neighboring rights remaining at the heart of the conflict.

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