France Fines Google €250 Million for Breaching EU IP Rules

Google has agreed not to dispute the findings and has proposed corrective actions to address the identified shortcomings.

France Fines Google €250 Million for Breaching EU IP Rules. France‘s competition watchdog has imposed a hefty fine of €250 million ($271.73 million) on Alphabet’s Google for violating EU intellectual property regulations in its dealings with media publishers. The authority raised concerns regarding Google’s AI service, particularly its chatbot Bard, now rebranded as Gemini, which was reportedly trained on content from publishers and news agencies without their consent.

Google has agreed not to dispute the findings and has proposed corrective actions to address the identified shortcomings. The tech giant emphasized its commitment to working constructively with French publishers and facilitating sustainable approaches to connect users with quality content.

Despite accepting the settlement, Google deemed the fine disproportionate, arguing that the watchdog failed to adequately consider its efforts in an unpredictable environment. The fine stems from a copyright dispute initiated by complaints from prominent French news organizations, including Agence France Presse (AFP).

While the dispute seemed resolved following Google’s withdrawal of its appeal against a previous €500 million fine, the competition authority found Google in violation of several settlement commitments, including negotiating in good faith with publishers and providing transparent information.

The watchdog highlighted Google’s use of the AI chatbot Bard, which it alleged was trained on data from media outlets without proper disclosure, thereby impeding publishers’ ability to negotiate fair compensation. This fine underscores ongoing concerns about AI services scraping online content without consent or fair compensation, with other publishers, including The New York Times, pursuing legal action against similar practices.

Google emphasized the need for clarity in determining fair compensation for content usage, signaling the broader challenges faced by the industry in navigating the evolving digital landscape.

The fine imposed by France’s competition watchdog underscores the growing scrutiny faced by tech companies regarding their handling of intellectual property rights and their impact on media publishers.