PARIS:Microsoft on Thursday lobbied for other countries to follow Australia's lead in calling for news outlets to be paid for stories published online, a move opposed by Facebook and Google.
Microsoft last week offered to fill the void if rival Google follows through on a threat to turn off its search engine in Australia over the plan.
Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a statement the company fully supports proposed legislation in Australia that would force Google and Facebook to compensate media for their journalism.
"This has made for an unusual split within the tech sector, and we've heard from people asking whether Microsoft would support a similar proposal in the United States, Canada, the European Union, and other countries," Smith said in a blog post.
"The short answer is yes."
Facebook and Google have both threatened to block key services in Australia if the rules, now before parliament, become law as written.
The situation raises the question of whether US President Joe Biden will back away from his predecessor's objection to the proposal in Australia.
"As the United States takes stock of the events on January 6, it's time to widen the aperture," Smith said, referring to a deadly attack on the US Capitol building by a mob of Trump supporters out to overturn the election results.
"The ultimate question is what values we want the tech sector and independent journalism to serve."
Smith argued that internet platforms that have not previously compensated news agencies should now step up to revive independent journalism that "goes to the heart of our democratic freedoms."
"The United States should not object to a creative Australian proposal that strengthens democracy by requiring tech companies to support a free press," Smith said.
"It should copy it instead."
- Bing goes big? -
The proposed law in Australia would govern relations between financially distressed traditional media outlets and the giants which dominate the internet and capture a significant share of advertising revenues.
Microsoft's search engine Bing accounts for less than 5 percent of the market in Australia, and from 15 to 20 percent of the market in the United States, according to the tech giant based in Washington State.
"With a realistic prospect of gaining usage share, we are confident we can build the service Australians want and need," Smith said.
"And unlike Google, if we can grow, we are prepared to sign up for the new law's obligations, including sharing revenue as proposed with news organizations."
Under the proposed News Media Bargaining Code, Google and Facebook would be required to negotiate payments to individual news organizations for using their content on the platforms.
Australia's biggest media companies, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and Nine Entertainment, have said they think the payments should amount to hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
If agreement cannot be reached on the size of the payments, the issue would go to so-called "final offer" arbitration where each side proposes a compensation amount and the arbiter chooses one or the other.
Google and Facebook, backed up by the US government and leading internet architects, have said the scheme would seriously undermine their business models and the very functioning of the internet.
Both Facebook and Google have insisted they are willing to pay publishers for news via licensing agreements and commercial negotiations, and both have signed deals worth millions of dollars with news organizations around the world.
Google has said the bargaining code should focus on facilitating these kinds of negotiations, but it rejected the idea of mandatory "final offer" arbitration.
ETX Studio
Sat Feb 13 2021
The company fully supports proposed legislation in Australia that would force Google and Facebook to compensate media for their journalism. AFP/ETX Studio
Prabowo takes up Indonesian presidency, vows to tackle corruption, other issues
Prabowo officially became Indonesia's eighth president on Sunday morning after he was sworn in during a ceremony at Indonesia's parliament.
Nepal's Sherpas deserve more, says teenager who scaled world's 14 tallest peaks
Sherpas are known for climbing skills that make them the backbone of mountain expeditions.
Prabowo takes up Indonesian presidency, vows to tackle corruption, other issues
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto on Sunday took over as president of the world's third-largest democracy, vowing to combat internal issues
Inside the underground lab in China tasked with solving a physics mystery
China will soon collect neutrino data, aiming to unravel one of particle physics' biggest mysteries.
Millions in Cuba still without power as major outage persists
Millions of Cubans remain without electricity because of a prolonged outage at the main power plants on the island, Anadolu Agency reported.
Surge in Gaza violence increases famine risk, monitor says
About 1.84 million people across the besieged Palestinian enclave are living through high levels of acute food insecurity.
Israel pounds Beirut and Gaza after rockets hit Israel's north
A drone was launched at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's holiday home.
Elon Musk promises to award $1 mil each day to a signer of his petition
He awarded a $1 million check to an attendee of his event in Pennsylvania aimed at rallying supporters behind Donald Trump.
Former special forces commander Prabowo to take up Indonesian presidency
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto will take over as president of the world's third-largest democracy after sweeping the country's election with policies like free meals for school children
Father of Malaysian Islamic banking, Abdul Halim Ismail passes away
His dedication and pioneering spirit played an important role in shaping the journey of Bank Islam as well as leaving a lasting impact on the development of Malaysia's Islamic finance industry.
Zayn Malik postpones US tour dates after One Direction bandmate Liam Payne's death
Payne, 31, died on Wednesday after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, shocking fans of the boy band.
Why voters in a handful of swing states will decide the US presidential election
The contest will almost certainly be decided by just tens of thousands of voters a tiny fraction of the populace in a handful of states.
INSIGHT - Sudan's war risks 'lost generation' of children
A devastating crisis is unfolding in Sudan, where the most vulnerable members of society children are bearing the brunt of the violence.
Who is Prabowo Subianto, incoming president of Indonesia?
A wealthy ex-general with ties to Indonesia's popular outgoing president and its dictatorial past, looks set to be its next leader.
Trump says he would impose tariffs on China if China went into Taiwan
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would impose additional tariffs on China if China were to "go into Taiwan,"
Iran's supreme leader says Hamas leader's death will not halt 'Axis of Resistance'
The "Axis of Resistance", built up with years of Iranian support, includes Hamas, the Lebanese Hezbollah group, the Houthi movement in Yemen, and various Shi'ite groups in Iraq and Syria.
Putin says Russia willing to seek compromises between Iran and Israel
Russia is ready to help seek compromises between arch-foes Israel and Iran, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, saying these would be difficult but possible.
What proposals will Russia push at the BRICS summit?
The proposal is also to establish a BRICS reinsurance company to allow uninterrupted shipment of goods and key commodities between members.
Indonesia's free meals plan in the spotlight as Prabowo readies for office
Prabowo calls the programme one of the main drivers of economic growth, eventually set to add an estimated 2.5 million jobs.
Astro AWANI's revamped English news website, AWANI International, launches on Oct 21
Astro AWANI's revamped English platform delivers in-depth global news and expert analysis to keep you informed on key developments.