Antitrust orders Meta to resume negotiations with SIAE

(ANSA) - ROME, APR 21 - Italy's Antitrust authority said Friday that it has ordered social-media giant Meta to resume negations with Italian copyright-collecting agency SIAE over music publishing rights.
    The authority also said that Meta must put back SIAE-protected music content on Facebook and Instagram, after getting the all-clear from the agency.
    The Antitrust said earlier this month that it had opened a probe into Meta following the recent breakdown in negotiations with SIAE to renew a contract on music rights and the subsequent removal from Meta's platforms of content protected by the agency, including on Instagram, which is highly popular with young people.
    The authority said it is looking into whether Meta abused the SIAE's economic dependence on its contract with it, taking advantage of the imbalance in bargaining positions to try to get the agency to accept an inadequate offer for the rights, and failing to provide the necessary information for the offer to be properly assessed.
    In Friday's statement, the Antitrust said Meta must "maintain conduct inspired by the canons of good faith and correctness" in the negotiations.
    It also said the social-media giant must provide all the necessary information needed for the negotiations.
    The SIAE has said that it is important that Meta gives "full disclosure of the data about its revenues" to make it possible to "calculate the correct royalties".
    The probe regards Meta Platform, Meta Platforms Ireland, Meta Platforms Technologies UK Limited and Facebook Italy. (ANSA).