Google Pauses Plans for ‘News Showcase’ Product in Australia

(Bloomberg) --

Google has halted plans to launch its ‘News Showcase’ product in Australia as the tech company isn’t clear if it will be viable under the nation’s draft News Media Bargaining code.

• The company doesn’t oppose a code, but the arbitration system outlined in the draft is “unworkable,” Mel Silva, Google’s vice president in Australia and New Zealand, said in a blog on Sunday
  • Concerns include “unfair payment conditions and unclear definitions and obligations”
• Earlier, Google said it would start paying select media outlets to display curated content on its news app, earmarking more than $1b for the program over three years

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