The Paris Court of Appeals upheld the interim measures that require Meta to negotiate in good faith with French press organizations over payments for journalistic content, disclose use and revenue data, and avoid degrading publishers’ material during negotiations.

The ruling centers on whether Meta’s practices could constitute an abuse of a dominant market position, particularly in how it determines payments to publishers; it does not rule on the overall legality of Meta’s actions, as the case continues.

Meta appealed the interim measures in August, but the appeals were rejected by the court on October 29, keeping the safeguards in place.

Publishers APIG and DVP, which represent hundreds of French publications, are pursuing remuneration for the reuse of press content since existing agreements expired in early 2025.

The decision signals Europe’s regulators’ intent to ensure fair compensation for publishers and could set a precedent for how platforms handle news content and related rights in the future.

This case sits within broader action against big tech in Europe, including a 2024 €250 million French penalty for breaching commitments to publishers and scrutiny of AI training data usage.

There is ongoing European regulatory scrutiny of AI terms and the use of news content by platforms.

The case echoes similar European actions, notably Google’s €250 million fine in 2024 for failing to meet commitments to French publishers and concerns about training content with news without consent.

The relevant market is defined as personal social networking services at the European level, with remuneration for press content on networks tied to use and the economic value generated by that use, which Meta must substantiate.

The measures were issued by France’s competition authority in July after media associations sought to enforce EU neighboring rights for digital use of print content.

The measures stem from complaints by DVP and APIG, representing French publishers and news agencies, and concern how Meta determines compensation under neighboring rights.

The interim measures were issued on July 8; Reuters context indicates that prior payment agreements with French publishers expired around 2024–2025, leaving negotiations without remuneration for subsequent periods.