The AFP news agency filed a copyright case in France on Wednesday against Twitter, which was recently rebranded X, as part of a global push to get tech companies to pay for news.
Media companies have long argued that their stories and images add value to platforms like X, Facebook, and Google, and thus deserve a cut of the profits.
A 2019 EU law allowing for payments for sharing content under a regime known as “neighbouring rights” aided their cause, and Google and Facebook eventually agreed to pay some French media outlets.
However, AFP has accused X, which is owned by billionaire Elon Musk, of a “clear refusal” to engage in discussions about neighbouring rights.
In a statement, AFP said it had filed a case with a Paris judge to force the platform to hand over data that would allow the French news agency to estimate a fair level of compensation.
“As a leading advocate for the adoption of neighbouring rights for the press, AFP remains unwavering in its commitment to the cause,” said the statement.
“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.”
The company was not immediately available for comment when contacted by AFP, but Musk called the lawsuit “bizarre” in a post on X on Thursday.
While media groups in France have won some victories, big tech firms have fought back hard in other areas.
This week, Meta blocked users in Canada from seeing posts from news organisations on Facebook and Instagram due to a law requiring compensation for content.
Google has threatened to do the same.
Similar proposals in Australia were met with opposition from Meta and Google.
The two companies dominate online advertising and have been accused of syphoning money away from traditional news organisations while using their content for free.
As a much smaller platform, X has not been subjected to the same level of scrutiny.
