Overview
- On Wednesday, July 8, 2026, the Autorité de la concurrence ruled that Meta's refusal to pay neighbouring rights causes a serious harm to the French press and ordered the company to negotiate with publishers.
- The authority directed Meta to negotiate in good faith with APIG and DVP, to cover use of press content dating from early 2025, and to hand over useful negotiation information within 15 days.
- The watchdog said Meta's conduct may amount to an abuse of a dominant position and opened a longer investigation that could lead to further remedies or sanctions in the coming months.
- Publishers say the lapse of deals at the end of 2024 and early 2025 stopped payments while Meta continued to display their work, causing immediate financial damage and greater precarity for hundreds of titles and news agencies.
- The dispute tests the EU's 2019 neighbouring rights regime and could shape how platforms and publishers reach commercial terms across Europe as negotiations and formal proceedings move forward.