LONDON: Apple, Google may have to pay to Wikipedia in the future, here’s why

LONDON: Information repository
Wikipedia, that has been offering tons of knowledge on a plethora of topics for
free, is set to launch a paid option soon, as per a report by Wired. Wikimedia
Foundation, that runs Wikipedia has launched Wikimedia Enterprise, a commercial
platform that will serve the content of Wikipedia directly to the Big Tech
companies.

That means Apple and Google will
have to pay to the Wikimedia Foundation for its articles and other informative
pieces. Till now, the Wikimedia Foundation has remained an organisation that
has seen the rapid leaps of the tech giants while remaining a nonprofit itself,
subsisting on grants and donations.

Like the Big Tech companies, Wikipedia is a well-known name and on Google
Search, is usually amongst the top search results. As per the report, The
Wikimedia Enterprise aims for “the sale and efficient delivery of Wikipedia’s
content directly to these online behemoths (and eventually, to smaller
companies too).” The program will reportedly launch later this year.

Wikimedia LLC, a new subsidiary of the Wikimedia Foundation, and the Big Tech
companies have already entered into discussions, and agreements could be inked
by June, claims the report. The report doesn’t shed light on the names of the
particular firms that are into talks with the Wikimedia Foundation but most
likely, they are going to be Apple and Google.

The Foundation, the report adds, doesn’t have plans to scrap the original,
no-pay search option of its free encyclopedia. Not for now, atleast. The
Enterprise thing looks to be more of in the testing-the-waters phase for now.