Google in landmark content pay deal with French media

European publishers have been pushing regulators for over a decade to tackle the power of Google and Facebook, which have lured away billions of euros in advertising revenue.

Google has agreed a copyright framework with French news publishers, under which the internet giant will pay news publishers for content online, in a first for Europe.

The move paves the way for individual licensing agreements for French publications, some of which have seen revenues drop with the rise of the internet and declines in print circulation.