Google fined €250 million in France

Google has been slapped with a €250 million fine by French regulators for failing to uphold a 2022 agreement regarding compensation for news content displayed online. The Authority for Competition accused the tech giant of breaching intellectual property rules and negotiating in bad faith with news publishers.

Key points of the dispute:

Breached commitments: The fine stems from Google's violation of four out of seven commitments made in the 2022 agreement. French regulators claim Google failed to negotiate transparently and in good faith with news outlets regarding payment for their content.
AI training concerns: France's competition watchdog expressed concern over Google's AI service, Bard (now known as Gemini). They allege that Bard was trained on content from news publishers and agencies without their knowledge or notification.

Content usage and negotiation: The watchdog further claims that Google linked the use of this news content within Bard to the display of copyrighted material. This, they argue, weakened the negotiating position of news publishers seeking fair compensation. France has been at the forefront of protecting publisher rights in the digital age. They were the first EU nation to enact a "neighbouring rights" directive, allowing print media to demand compensation for online content use. This ruling has been a test case for similar regulations across the EU.

In 2019, complaints from major French news organisations triggered the investigation. Google initially contested a €500 million fine issued in 2021 for failing to negotiate in good faith. A settlement was reached in 2022, with Google agreeing to negotiate fairly with news outlets.
The latest €250 million fine highlights Google's alleged non-compliance with the 2022 agreement. This case underscores the ongoing battle between tech giants and news organisations over content ownership and revenue sharing in the digital landscape. It also raises concerns about transparency in AI development and the potential misuse of copyrighted material.