The President of Italian
copyright-collecting agency SIAE Salvatore Nastasi said Friday
the agency was prepared to negotiate with social media giant
Meta over music publishing rights on the basis of the
instructions provided by Italy's Antitrust authority.
"We are ready for an agreement to put Italian content back on
Meta's platforms and to negotiate constructively, but in
accordance with the indications of the Antitrust (authority)
based on the information needed to properly assess the value of
the content, in the interest of Italian authors," Nastasi said.
Earlier in the day the Antitrust authority ordered Meta to
resume negations with SIAE and to put back SIAE-protected music
content on Facebook and Instagram, after getting the all-clear
from the agency.
In response, a Meta spokesperson said that the company disagreed
with the measures imposed on it, but that it was happy to resume
talks with SIAE to reach an agreement.
"As a demonstration of our commitment to move the negotiations
forward and reach a joint solution, we will send SIAE a further
request to extend our licensing agreement," the spokesperson
said.
"If SIAE agrees, we will be able to restore music to our
platforms during the course of negotiations, thus ensuring
artists and musicians full copyright protection.
"We believe it is important to cooperate with the music industry
and in the value of Italian music. We hope to be able to
negotiate with SIAE as we already do with other rights holders
in Italy, such as Soundreef," concluded the spokesperson.
Earlier this month the Antitrust authority said it had opened a
probe into Meta following the breakdown in negotiations with
SIAE to renew a contract on music rights and the subsequent
removal from Meta's platforms of content protected by the
agency, including on Instagram, which is highly popular with
young people.
The Antitrust authority is looking into whether Meta abused the
SIAE's economic dependence on their contract, taking advantage
of the imbalance in bargaining positions to try to get the
agency to accept an inadequate offer for the rights, and failing
to provide the necessary information for the offer to be
properly assessed.
In Friday's statement, the Antitrust authority said Meta must
"maintain conduct inspired by the canons of good faith and
correctness" in the negotiations.
It also said the social-media giant must provide all the
necessary information needed for the negotiations.
SIAE has said it is important that Meta provides "full
disclosure of the data about its revenues" to make it possible
to "calculate the correct royalties".
The probe regards Meta Platform, Meta Platforms Ireland, Meta
Platforms Technologies UK Limited and Facebook Italy.
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