Google has already signed licensing agreements with Italian publishers

The US internet giant Google also signed licensing agreements this week with Italian publishers, to which it will pay for news content. Italy is another country in which Google has concluded a fee agreement after months of negotiations on how to apply European Union copyright regulations. These allow publishers to charge a fee from online platforms for disseminating the content of their messages. Wednesday's agreement will allow Italian publishers to raise money to publish their news on the paid Google News Showcase. "These agreements, signed on an individual basis, represent an important step in Google's relationship with Italian publishers through the remuneration of publishers," Google said in a statement. The Google News Showcase will be available in Italy in the coming months, the internet giant added. Publishers who have signed contracts with Google include RCS MediaGroup, Il Sole 24 Ore, Monrif, Citynews, Caltagirone Editore, Il Fatto Quotidiano, Libero, Il Foglio, Il Giornale and Il Tempo. Neighboring France was the first EU country in which Google contracted publishers in January to pay for their content. The so-called print media, which is struggling with declining subscribers, has long raged that Google makes millions on the ads it displays alongside their messages.