The move followed the adoption of landmark EU copyright rules three years ago that require Google and other online platforms to pay musicians, performers, authors, news publishers and journalists for using their work. Australia introduced legislation last year to make such payments mandatory while the federal government introduced similar legislation last month.

Two-thirds of the publishers are German entities including Der Spiegel, Die Zeit and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Offers to thousands more news publishers in other EU countries will be made over the coming months.

            The tool offers publishers an extended news preview agreement that allows Google to show snippets and thumbnails for a licensing fee.