Google to pay Wikipedia for content

Google has agreed to pay Wikipedia for content displayed by its search engine, similar to deals that the US tech giant has struck with news outlets in Europe.

The charity that oversees the online encyclopedia, the Wikimedia FoundationWikimedia Foundation, said Google was the first paying customer for its commercial venture, Wikimedia Enterprise, which it launched last year.

"We're thrilled to be working with them as longtime partners," Lane Becker, Wikimedia's longtime partner, said on Tuesday.

Wikipedia, one of the most visited websites, relies on donations to keep afloat, and is free to use, updated by volunteers.

The foundation said that the new commercial arm will not change that arrangement for individual users.

Google uses material from the site for its Knowledge Panel that accompanies the main search results.

The source of the information is not always shown, a practice that has sparked complaints from Wikimedia.

Google has given money to Wikipedia through donations and grants.

The Wikimedia FoundationWikimedia Foundation has long supported the goal of expanding knowledge and information access for people everywhere, said Tim Palmer, Google's chief executive.

The foundations statement did not reveal the value of the Google contract.

French regulators and Google agreed to a framework for the US firm to pay news outlets for content after agreeing to pay news outlets for content.

Google has already made deals with hundreds of news outlets across Europe, including Agence France-Presse.