Here’s why Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and owner of X, is being sued by Europe’s richest man

Bernard Arnault, the head of LVMH, is suing Elon Musk’s social media company X (previously Twitter) alongside a number of French newspapers. Major French publishers, including Le Parisien, Les Echos, Le Figaro, and Le Monde, have launched the complaint, alleging that X violated EU copyright regulations by utilizing their content without paying them a reasonable price.

A recent EU directive that requires digital platforms to compensate news organizations for using their content serves as the foundation for the French publishers’ allegations. The present legal challenge is a result of X’s alleged refusal to negotiate comparable deals, even as tech titans like Google and Meta have agreed to compensate publishers.

Arnault, whose luxury conglomerate includes Givenchy, Christian Dior, and Louis Vuitton, has frequently exchanged the title of richest person in the world with Musk. The two billionaires’ well-publicized court spat highlights a larger conflict over content rights and fair use between internet platforms and conventional media outlets.

A Paris court recently ruled in favor of the French media, requiring X to give the publishers information about how its content is used. The legal processes have escalated due to X’s apparent noncompliance with this ruling.The lawsuit might have a significant impact on digital rights and journalism in Europe, possibly establishing a standard for future compensation practices by tech corporations to media outlets.