Bill on digital copyright and online news content

Following the submission of the Digital Copyright Bill (“Digital Copyright Bill“) to the Presidency of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (“TBMM”) in December 2025, a further bill, the Bill on Digital Copyright and Online News Content (“Bill“) was submitted to the Presidency of the TBMM on 10 February 2026. The Bill mainly addresses the obligations of large digital platforms, the principles governing copyright and revenue sharing in relation to news and media content used on such platforms, dispute resolution mechanism, and the sanctions to be applied in cases of infringement. Some of the key provisions introduced by the Bill are summarised below:

Obligations for digital platforms. The Bill defines “large digital platforms within the scope” as those search engines, social media platforms, content sharing networks, and online service providers operating in Türkiye or providing content to users in Türkiye, that (i) generate annual gross digital service revenue originating from Türkiye exceeding TRY 100,000,000 or (ii) have an average monthly active user count in Türkiye exceeding 1,000,000. The principal obligations imposed on such platforms are as follows:

• Conducting fair, transparent and good-faith negotiations and sharing, to a reasonable extent, data affecting the royalty fee;
• Paying digital royalties to media organisations for uses generating economic value;
• Refraining from unfair discrimination between media organisations; not reducing the visibility of news content or applying algorithmic pressure due to royalty negotiations or related demands;
• Submitting annual reports to the Information Technologies and Communications Authority (“ITCA”) on payment methods, total royalty amounts and beneficiary media organisations in relation to digital royalty agreements;
• Notifying the ITCA of the key principles and parameters of algorithmic systems in use, as well as any significant changes thereto;
• In the case of international digital platforms, maintaining an authorised representative in Türkiye.

Obligation to pay royalties for the provision of digital news content. Under the Bill, large digital platforms are required to pay digital royalties to media organisations in return for the value they derive from listing, summarising, sharing, previewing or redirecting news content.

Determination of royalty fees. In principle, royalty fees will be determined by agreement between the media organisation and the digital platform. In determining the royalty fee, content production costs, access and engagement levels, the platform’s economic strength in Türkiye, and the scale of the media organisation will be taken into account. Royalty payments shall be made on a quarterly basis, unless otherwise agreed between the relevant media organisation the digital platform. In the event that no agreement is reached, the royalty fee shall be determined by the Digital Royalty Dispute Board to be established within the ITCA. The total annual digital royalty amount shall not be less than one per cent of the platform’s annual gross digital service revenue sourced from Türkiye. The ITCA is authorised to adjust this rate annually within a range of 1% to 3%, taking into account market conditions and public interest.

Digital Royalty Dispute Board. Under the Bill, in the event that no agreement is reached between the parties regarding the royalty fee or the terms of the agreement, either party may have resort to mediation. The mediation process shall be concluded within thirty days from the date of application, and in exceptional circumstances this period may be extended once by fifteen days. Should mediation prove unsuccessful, the Digital Royalty Dispute Board shall resolve the dispute within a maximum of sixty days upon the request of one of the parties. The Board is envisaged to consist of five members, including a chairperson, who are experts in the fields of communications/information technology, press/media, economics/competition and law.

Sanctions. Digital platforms that commit acts contrary to the Bill shall be subject to administrative fines ranging from 1% to 5% of their annual digital service revenue generated in Türkiye, depending on the nature and severity of the infringement. As a general rule, the ITCA will first issue a written warning to the digital platform, granting a fifteen-day period to rectify the breach; however, the warning requirement shall not apply in cases of serious infringements or repeat offences.

In cases of repeated infringements, advertising activities may be suspended or specific services aimed at generating revenue in Türkiye may also be temporarily restricted. Where the infringement is systematic and persistent, the administrative fine rate may be increased to up to 10%; and the ITCA may publish the sanction decision in cases of serious and persistent infringements.

While the Bill shares certain similarities with the Digital Copyright Bill, it has a narrower and more specific scope. Both the Bill and the Digital Copyright Bill are currently under review by the relevant committees of the TBMM. Although it remains unclear whether either will be enacted, the submission of two proposals of similar scope indicates significant progress towards aligning Turkish digital copyright legislation with international standards.