By Mauro Orru
Italy’s competition watchdog opened an investigation into Facebook parent Meta Platforms Inc., saying the social-media giant may have abused its economic weight during talks to renew a licensing agreement with an Italian copyright agency to feature musical content on its platforms.
The Italian Competition Authority, or AGCM, said Wednesday that Meta may have unduly interrupted talks with the Italian Society of Authors and Publishers, or SIAE, after withholding information that SIAE needed to conduct fair negotiations. Meta removed SIAE-protected music content from its Facebook and Instagram platforms last month after a breakdown in talks.
The regulator said Meta may have abused the contractual leverage it holds over SIAE, asking the agency to accept an inadequate offer without having the information needed to assess its fairness.
Meta and SIAE didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. SIAE said last month that the removal of musical content from Meta’s platforms was a “unilateral and incomprehensible choice.”
Write to Mauro Orru at mauro.orru@wsj.com; @MauroOrru94
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
04-05-23 0325ET
