In addition, the Autorité criticized Google for failing to provide a technical solution allowing publishers to opt out of their content being used for AI training. The authority also found that Google had not provided publishers with all the necessary information for fair remuneration negotiations, had failed to meet non-discrimination criteria, and had imposed a minimum threshold for remuneration. Google has agreed not to contest the findings in exchange for a fast-tracked process and a monetary payment.
Key takeaways:
- France's competition authority, the Autorité de la Concurrence, has fined Google €250 million for disregarding previous commitments with news publishers and for using their content to train its AI model Bard/Gemini without notification.
- In 2019, the European Union extended copyright protections to news headlines and snippets, which led to Google having to negotiate deals with local publishers over content reuse. However, Google was fined $592M in 2021 for major breaches in these negotiations.
- Google has agreed not to contest the Autorité's latest findings and will make a monetary payment. However, it has expressed dissatisfaction with the fine, stating that it is not proportionate to the issues raised by the authority.
- The Autorité also criticized Google for failing to provide a technical solution for publishers to opt out of their content being used to train Bard without affecting the display of their content on other Google services until September 2023.