Elon Musk Faces Lawsuit from Agence France-Presse

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, is facing yet another challenge. Agence France-Presse (AFP), the French news agency, has filed a lawsuit against Musk’s new name for Twitter, X, over alleged non-payments for displaying AFP content.

The dispute arises from EU copyright reforms that were implemented into French law in 2019. These reforms require online platforms to compensate publishers for distributing their content. While media outlets argue that they provide valuable engagement and ad revenue, platforms contend that they already drive traffic to the publishers.

AFP, as one of the oldest news services globally, strongly supports the requirements. The agency claims that X has refused to engage in discussions regarding payments for content distribution. In response, AFP has taken legal action by filing a lawsuit in Paris to determine the amount owed.

Musk, however, expressed his disbelief in a tweet, stating, “This is bizarre. They want us to pay *them* for traffic to their site where they make advertising revenue and we don’t!?”

Despite Musk’s criticism, AFP remains determined to seek compensation through legal means. The outcome of this lawsuit adds to the list of challenges Musk has faced recently, including controversies surrounding Tesla’s driving ranges, a questionable rebranding of Twitter, and a contentious feud with hate-speech researchers.