29/3/2024
March 22, 2024
Google has been fined €250 million by the French Competition Authority for not fulfilling its commitments regarding neighboring copyright rights with French publishers. The fine addresses Google's failure to properly compensate publishers and its misuse of their content, marking a continued struggle in balancing tech advancements and copyright laws.
In a landmark ruling on March 20, 2024, the French Competition Authority imposed a €250 million fine on Google for failing to fulfill certain commitments regarding neighboring rights of copyright. This significant penalty underscores the ongoing conflict between the tech giant and French news publishers, which began with the neighboring rights law enacted on July 24, 2019.
The law mandates that search engines like Google compensate publishers for displaying their content in search results, aiming to ensure fair revenue distribution and address the digital shift impacting the media sector.
The dispute traces back to November 2019 when French press syndicates and Agence France-Presse (AFP) accused Google of abusing its market dominance and economic dependence, leading to preliminary measures and a subsequent €500 million fine. Despite efforts to resolve these issues, including seven specific commitments by Google, the company failed to comply fully, leading to this recent fine. Moreover, Google's chatbot Bard, now known as Gemini, was found using content from news publishers for training without proper notification or technical means for publishers to opt-out, further straining relations.
Google has accepted the facts and entered a settlement procedure, highlighting the ongoing challenges in balancing tech innovation and copyright law in the digital age.
