Google faces a historic fine over a news copyright disagreement.
In January, Google made a significant copyright agreement with various French news outlets, committing to negotiate licensing deals individually. The French competition authority, Autorité de la concurrence, raised concerns about the agreement as it lacked clear terms regarding the use of existing press content. Following an investigation, the authority found Google in breach of an April 2020 ruling that mandated fair licensing deals with news publishers. Consequently, Google is now facing a substantial fine.
The Autorité de la concurrence imposed a €500 million fine on Google, which roughly amounts to $593 million in USD. This penalty represents the largest ever imposed by the French competition authority on any company. Moreover, Google has been directed to provide evidence of payment for using protected content to publishers within two months, or risk further penalties.
“We have consistently acted in good faith throughout this process,” stated a Google representative to CNBC. “The fine overlooks our attempts to reach an agreement and the fundamental operation of news on our platforms.”
Google received a $593 million fine from antitrust regulators in France for failing to offer equitable terms to news publishers pic.twitter.com/QZkRBhb3wW
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“Up to this point, Google is the sole entity to have announced agreements on neighboring rights,” the spokesperson continued. “We are on the verge of finalizing a deal with AFP that encompasses a comprehensive licensing agreement and compensation for their neighboring rights associated with their news publications.”
