Swiss gov't favors compensation for journalistic 'snippets' posted by online services
Switzerland’s executive branch says it favors changes to copyright law to require large online service providers — including social media platforms and search engines — to pay media companies for use of journalistic content, even small excerpts
GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland's executive branch says it favors changes to copyright law to require large online service providers — including social media platforms and search engines — to pay media companies for use of their journalistic content, even small excerpts known as “snippets.”
The Federal Council, Switzerland's executive body, announced Wednesday that it's opened a four-month examination of a proposed legal change to improve compensation for journalists and their media companies.
The government noted the importance of public debate in a democracy, which has now largely moved onto the Internet.
“The content offered by search engines, social media and multimedia platforms is largely based on journalistic works by traditional publishing media," a government statement said. Short previews of journalistic content — or “snippets” — are not currently protected under Swiss copyright law.
