Facebook has to pay $ 5 million for its nearby features |
An Italian software development company has been fined 3.838 million euros for related jobs.
According to a court document seen by Reuters, the Milan Court of Appeals ordered Italy to Facebook pay $ 4.7 million in compensation to the Italian company to offset the risk of copying the "near" feature on its social site. network.
The Milan Court of Appeal upheld a decision in 2019, but increased the amount of compensation Facebook would have to pay and initially set compensation at € 350,000.
A 2019 court ruling said the social media giant had copied features of the Faround app, owned by Italian business skills, and had violated competition and copyright laws.
The case dates back to 2012 when Business Competence launched the Faround program that allowed users to find Facebook friends near their website.
Reuters reported earlier that the app is spreading rapidly in the Italian market, but Facebook launched the neighborhood feature a few months later, which also competes with Foursquare and Yelp, and downloads from Faround are said to be on the decline.
According to internet traffic metering company App Annie, Faround was the new most downloaded social media app in Italy in the week beginning November 22, 2012.
The Italian software development company filed a lawsuit against Facebook in 2013. According to Reuters, the court issued a preliminary ruling in its favor in 2016 and announced it in 2017.
Facebook has been ordered to suspend sharing of the site in Italy or to fine it 5,000 euros per day for copyright infringement and unfair competition.
Facebook agreed to suspend its advantages in Italy during the appeal, but all subsequent courts have upheld all of Italy's commercial capabilities.
In response, a Facebook spokesperson told Reuters: The company has received the court’s ruling and is seriously considering it.