CJEU ruling on press publishers' neighbouring rights

On May 12, 2026, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered its judgment in case C-797/23, Meta Platforms Ireland v. AGCOM. The court ruled that EU member states are permitted to require digital platforms to negotiate and compensate press publishers for the usage of their content. This decision represents the first judicial interpretation of the press publishers' neighbouring right as established by the EU Copyright Directive 2019/790. The ruling clarifies that using journalistic content requires explicit licensing, affecting both large social media platforms and commercial media monitoring services. In Cyprus, the Cyprus Publishers Association has already formalised a licensing arrangement, granting Clip News S.A. rights to monitor and use member content following a 2022 tender. The judgment highlights that unauthorised collection, digitisation, or distribution of press content carries significant legal and reputational risks. Consequently, businesses and communications professionals are advised to ensure that their media monitoring services are fully licensed to maintain compliance with copyright frameworks.