French regulator hits Google with 250-mn-euro fine / Photo: Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV - AFP/File
-
Pallister holds off Ledecky to win Pan Pacs 400m free title
-
Powerful quake off Indonesia kills 20, sparks mass evacuations
-
India's Modi woos youth with free coaching, AI training
-
Mehidy half-century steers Bangladesh to 228-run lead in Australia Test
-
Mehidy half-century steers Bangladesh to big lead in Australia Test
-
Japan defence minister visits war shrine, PM stays away
-
Powerful quake off Indonesia sparks mass evacuations
-
Viennese woman sues city over 'discriminatory' toilet fees
-
Poweful quake off Indonesia sparks mass evacuations
-
Venezuelan amputees adjust to new life after quakes
-
LA Olympics has to allow politicians on the bus, just not behind the wheel - Coe
-
Venezuela frees 131 prisoners amid post-Maduro transition talks
-
No.1 Scheffler fires sizzling 61 to seize PGA St. Jude lead
-
Arteta tells Arsenal fans not to fret over his future
-
Venezuela frees more political prisoners amid post-Maduro talks
-
Mexico's Indigenous chief justice hits back at discrimination
-
Werro upstages Hodgkinson to win thrilling Euro 800m gold
-
Werro wins 800m race for the ages, Warholm and Tamberi hit four
-
Werro upstages Hodgkinson to win Euro 800m gold
-
Jimenez rescues dramatic Wolves draw in Championship opener
-
Hurricane poised to hit Hawaii as El Nino stirs Pacific
-
Taliban govt to mark five years ruling Afghanistan
-
Ex-Cambridge professor at centre of plagiarism scandal found dead
-
Stocks slip in cautious trading after weak US retail sales data
-
Wildfire threatens Canada wine region
-
Gramercy Networks Announces New Global Ultra-Low Latency Financial Network Connecting Major Trading Hubs
-
'Normal guy' turned killer over US insurance industry grievances
-
NFL bans Falcons defender Pearce eight games for domestic violence
-
Norway's hurdles king Warholm wins fourth European title
-
US says 19 million recalled eggs pose deadly risk
-
Liverpool deal with Bezos consortium raises stakes in US battle for Premier League power
-
Former Cincinnati contenders suffer contrasting first-round fates
-
Colombia hopes for miracles as search for quake victims goes on
-
Argentina's Romero confirms Tottenham exit as Atletico move looms
-
Popovici, Quadarella mine more gold at Europeans as Marchand flexes in butterfly
-
Homeless, jobless: Colombia quake survivors 'left with nothing'
-
'I shot Mr Thompson': Stunning confession in US health exec's slaying
-
Cubans find rest on rooftops as blackouts drive them from home
-
San Francisco to host 2028 MLB All-Star Game
-
World champ McIntosh crashes out of Pan Pacs 400m free
-
Trump dismisses concerns over conditions on US aircraft carrier
-
T'Wolves set Garnett celebration for Celtics clash
-
Zambia resumes vote count after pause over violence
-
Popovici nails freestyle double with third men's European 200m gold
-
Wind spurs forest fire in western Germany, with scores evacuated
-
Premier League club Liverpool sell minority stake to Jeff Bezos consortium
-
Pakistan captain Babar in injury scare ahead of England opener
-
Italian police recover stolen Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse works
-
Mangione admits shooting health care CEO
-
Stocks slip in cautious trading, oil turns higher
French regulator hits Google with 250-mn-euro fine
French regulators said Wednesday they were fining Google 250 million euros ($272 million) for breaching commitments on paying media companies for reproducing their content online and using their material for its AI chatbot without telling them.
Google and other online platforms have been accused of making billions from news without sharing the revenue with those who gather it.
To tackle this, the EU created in 2019 a form of copyright called "neighbouring rights" that allows print media to demand compensation for using their content.
France has been a test case for the rules and after initial resistance Google and Facebook both agreed to pay some French media for articles shown in web searches.
Organisations representing French magazines and newspapers -- as well as Agence France-Presse (AFP) -- had lodged a case with France's Competition Authority in 2019.
Two years later, the watchdog fined Google 500 million euros for failing to negotiate in good faith.
In 2022, the authority accepted commitments from Google to negotiate fairly with news organisations.
Under the agreement, the US tech giant has to provide news groups with a transparent offer of payment within three months of receiving a copyright complaint.
- AI chatbot -
But the regulator said Wednesday it was imposing the new fine on Google for "failing to respect commitments made in 2022" and not negotiating in "good faith" with news publishers.
The US tech giant also used content from press agencies to train its artificial intelligence platform -- Bard (now known as Gemini) -- without notifying them or the authority, the regulator said.
Google failed to provide publishers and news agencies a technical solution allowing them to object to the use of their content, "hindering" their ability to negotiate remuneration, it added.
The watchdog said Google had agreed to "not dispute the facts" as part of the settlement process and proposed "a series of corrective measures" in response to the failings identified by the authority.
Other European Union countries have also challenged Google over news content.
Spain's competition watchdog launched an investigation into Google last year for alleged anti-competitive practices affecting news agencies and press publications.
In 2022, Germany's antitrust regulator shelved an investigation into Google's News Showcase service, after the tech giant made "important adjustments" to ease competition concerns.
D.Cunningha--AMWN
