The fine is part of France's ongoing efforts to protect the publishing rights and revenue of its press and news agencies against powerful tech companies. The EU has created a form of copyright called "neighbouring rights" that allows print media to demand compensation for using their content. Google has pledged not to contest the facts as part of settlement proceedings and has proposed measures to remedy certain shortcomings.
Key takeaways:
- Google has been fined €250m by French regulators for breaching an agreement over paying media companies for reproducing their content online, particularly citing concerns about Google’s AI service.
- The fine was for “failing to respect commitments made in 2022” and accused Google of not negotiating in “good faith” with news publishers on how much to compensate them for use of their content.
- The case was triggered by complaints in 2019 from some of the country’s biggest news organisations representing French magazines and newspapers, as well as the news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP).
- Google violated the terms of four out of seven commitments agreed in the 2022 settlement, including conducting negotiations with publishers in good faith and providing transparent information.