France’s competition watchdog fined Google €250 million for breaching EU intellectual property rules concerning its interactions with media publishers. The fine was imposed due to concerns about Google’s AI service, Bard (now Gemini), which was trained on content from publishers and news agencies without their notification. Google accepted the settlement and proposed remedies for the breaches, emphasizing its commitment to sustainable approaches in connecting people with quality content.
The dispute stems from a copyright disagreement in France over online content, initially triggered by complaints from major news organizations such as Agence France Presse. Despite Google dropping its appeal against an initial €500 million fine in 2022, the watchdog found that Google had violated several commitments agreed upon in the settlement. This included not negotiating with publishers in good faith and not providing transparent information.
The watchdog highlighted Google’s AI chatbot Bard, launched in 2023, which used data from media outlets and news agencies without informing them or the regulator. By linking the use of this content to its AI service, Google impeded publishers’ and press agencies’ ability to negotiate fair prices. This fine underscores the ongoing struggle of publishers, writers, and newsrooms to protect their online content from unauthorized use by AI services without proper compensation or consent.
