Big news in the world of media and tech! Several major French media companies, owned by billionaire Bernard Arnault, have taken legal action against Elon Musk’s social media platform, X. The companies claim that X has been using their content without paying for it.
The lawsuit was filed by two top French newspapers, Les Echos and Le Parisien, both of which are part of Arnault’s luxury business empire, LVMH. These newspapers aren’t alone, though. Other big names in French media, like Le Monde, Le Figaro, and Telerama, have also joined the fight. They’re all accusing X of violating something called “neighboring rights.” These rights are like royalties that media companies earn when their content is shared online, and the companies believe X should be paying for it.
The twist? Bernard Arnault, the man behind LVMH, is the richest person in Europe and the 5th richest in the world, with a net worth of $156 billion. Meanwhile, Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla, SpaceX, and X, is the wealthiest person on the planet, with $308 billion in the bank. It’s a battle between two of the world’s most powerful billionaires, and the stakes are high.
But how did this all start? It goes back to May, when Arnault’s companies, along with the news agency Agence France-Presse, went to court in Paris. They wanted X to hand over information about how much money it’s making from their content. The court agreed with them and ruled that X must share this information. However, according to the media companies, X hasn’t followed through on the ruling. They claim X is purposely ignoring the court order, refusing to be held accountable for what they say is content theft.
The media companies argue that the money earned from these neighboring rights is crucial for maintaining independent journalism and high-quality reporting. Without this revenue, they say, their ability to provide reliable news and information to the public could be at risk.
Elon Musk, on the other hand, isn’t backing down. His lawyers have argued that X shouldn’t have to pay for the content because the posts are uploaded by users, not by X itself. Musk even commented on the situation back in August 2023, saying, “This is bizarre. They want us to pay them for traffic to their site where they make advertising revenue and we don’t!?”
Right now, it’s unclear how this legal battle will play out, but one thing’s for sure – it’s a clash between two powerful figures, and it could change the way social media platforms handle content rights forever.
