Millions in fine against Google in France

The French competition authority has imposed a fine of 250 million euros on Google.

The internet giant did not adhere to mandatory copyright agreements with French publishers and agencies, said a statement from the authority on Wednesday. The company did not deny the allegations.

In concrete terms, the competition watchdogs accuse Google of opaque and incomplete communication in negotiations with publishers and news agencies about compensation for the use of press content. The group is also said to have underestimated the indirect income from the press content used.

The watchdogs also see misconduct in connection with Google’s AI software Gemini. Google has not informed publishers and agencies about the use of their content through the software. Moreover, they had no way to speak out against it. The only thing they could have done was refuse to have their content used by all Google services.

French publishers had been arguing with Google over copyright for years. The point was that Google should pay for the online use of content that goes beyond links and very short snippets.

The backdrop is an EU copyright amendment adopted in 2019, which aims to adapt the European Union’s outdated copyright law to the digital age and ensure that authors receive better compensation for their online content. Google initially refused to make such payments. The company then suffered a defeat at the Court of Appeal in Paris in the fall of 2020. In 2022, the group and publishers reached an agreement in principle. (saw/sda/dpa)