AUSTRALIA MEDIA LAW CLEARS PARLIAMENT

An Australian law compelling Facebook and Google to pay publishers for using their content was approved Thursday by the country’s Parliament after some late-breaking amendments.

The news media bargaining code faced significant opposition from both Facebook and Google, with the former announcing last week that it would restrict Australian users from viewing or sharing publishers’ links and posts.

Facebook agreed late Monday to reverse the ban on news links after negotiations that produced the new amendments.

The changes will insert a two-month period to give platforms and publishers more time to negotiate before being forced into arbitration. They also suggest that online companies that make “a significant contribution” to the Australian news industry may be exempt from making payments.