Meta Platforms lost its appeal against interim measures imposed by French regulators in a dispute over payments to news publishers, adding to the company’s legal and commercial pressure in Europe. The Paris Court of Appeals rejected Meta’s challenge on Thursday, October 29, and said the company must continue complying with the measures while negotiations with media groups proceed.
The case concerns so-called neighboring rights, an EU framework that allows news organizations to seek payment when their content is used digitally. France has pursued enforcement of those rules, while Meta and publishers have been unable to reach a new agreement after an earlier arrangement expired in 2024. French media organizations have received no payment since 2025, according to Reuters.
“The Court concluded that Meta's practices, specifically regarding the methods used to determine the amounts payable as 'neighboring rights' to press publishers, may constitute an abuse of a dominant position, which is prohibited under both European and French competition law,” the court said in a statement.
France’s competition authority issued two interim measures against Meta in July after media associations brought the dispute to regulators. The court’s decision leaves those measures in place. They require Meta to:
- Resume discussions with media organizations;
- Give publishers information about revenue generated by its social-media platforms and the use of protected content; and
- Avoid reducing the way press content is displayed on its services.
Meta appealed the regulator’s decisions in August. A company spokesperson said Meta was disappointed by the ruling but would comply with the interim requirements and continue discussions. The spokesperson also said the company hoped publishers would negotiate in good faith.
“We are assessing next steps but will continue to comply with the interim measures and negotiate in good faith, and hope the publishers will do the same,” a Meta spokesperson said.
A wider fight over content and artificial intelligence
The French case is part of a broader conflict between technology companies and publishers over control, compensation and the use of journalism online. Those disputes have intensified as publishers examine whether their material is being collected for artificial-intelligence systems, while platforms argue over the scope of licensing obligations and web-crawling restrictions.
The French media association DVP, which includes newspapers such as Le Monde and Les Echos, welcomed Thursday’s ruling. Jean-Marie Cavada, DVP’s chairman of the board, said the organization would continue pursuing its members’ interests through negotiations with Meta and before France’s competition authority.
For Meta, the ruling keeps the company subject to requirements covering negotiations, disclosures and the treatment of press material in France. It does not, by itself, establish the final amount Meta must pay publishers. That financial question remains tied to the negotiations and to the information the company is required to provide under the interim measures.
