In an unexpected move, Bernard Arnault, Europe’s richest man and owner of LVMH, has sued Elon Musk, the CEO of X (formerly known as Twitter), for unauthorized use of content from his newspapers, Le Parisien and Les Echos. Arnault argues that Musk and his digital platform are republishing articles without properly compensating the media outlets, in breach of European law requiring payment for republished content. The dispute puts the debate over copyright in the digital age and how platforms should remunerate content creators at the centre.
- The copyright dispute: Arnault and other major French media are seeking to have X pay for using their content under European law.
- A high-profile trial: The lawsuit will be heard in Paris in May 2025, making this case a legal battle pitting two of the richest men in the world against each other.
- Impact on digital media: The case underlines the importance of defending media rights, with the aim of preserving a free and diverse press.
This showdown promises to have repercussions in the digital media world, as it could set an important precedent for how large platforms like X should treat copyrighted content. The industry is closely watching how this case will develop and what implications it will have for the future of digital journalism.
