India considers new law to ensure fair transactions between big tech and news publishers

MIB is considering a separate law to ensure a level playing field between news publishers and tech giants such as Google and Meta.

India is contemplating a new legislation aimed at fostering equitable transactions between Big Tech firms and news publishers. Drawing inspiration from countries like Australia, the law seeks to mandate compensation from platforms such as Google and Meta for using news content, as reported by Mint.

This initiative is set to complement the ongoing Digital Competition Bill, which has recently undergone public consultation, as reported by sources familiar with the development.

In 2022, a parliamentary standing committee on finance chaired by Jayant Sinha recommended regulatory measures to enable news publishers to negotiate fair and transparent contracts with influential technology companies. However, these provisions were not incorporated into the Digital Competition Bill overseen by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, which aims to establish guidelines for Big Tech to ensure fair competition in digital markets, according to one of the sources familiar with the matter.

"The proposal to create a balanced environment between news aggregators and publishers is currently under review by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. There is consideration for developing separate legislation," stated another source.