Microsoft is teaming up with European publishers to promote a system that will force major technology platforms to pay for news amid a looming battle over whether Google and Facebook should pay for journalism, AP reported.

Microsoft and four major EU news industry lobbying groups have unveiled a plan to work together to resolve mandatory payments for the use of news content by online gatekeepers with dominant market power.

They said they would draw inspiration from a proposed law in Australia that would force technology platforms to share revenues with news companies, and that would include an arbitration system to resolve disputes at a fair price per news.

Last week, Facebook blocked Australians from accessing news on social networks in connection with the government's decision to pay for news published on social networks.