Google fined €500m by French antitrust regulators

French antitrust authorities have fined Google €500 million saying the tech giant had not negotiated "in good faith" with news outlets and other publishing firms over the use of their content.

The regulatory body said that specifically, Google was in breach of temporary orders to hold negotiations with publishers within three months.

The news comes as the EU engages in widespread efforts to strongarm big tech companies to pay publishers for the use of their content.

News publishers APIG, SEPM and AFP have accused Google of not having negotiated with them in good faith to compensate them for their online news on the tech giantꞌs feed.

Read more: EU must be tougher on Big Tech say France, Germany & Netherlands

Google was forced to negotiate with the media companies after France adopted new EU copyright rules. 

The publishing companies claim that Google had not found common ground with them under the "neighbouring rights" EU directive and have been waiting for a decision by the antitrust body to move forward with their own framework agreement which, according to Reuters, could amount to as much as €64 million over three years.

A spokesperson for Google said that the company was "very disappointed" about the large fine, but said it would comply.

"Our objective remains the same: we want to turn the page with a definitive agreement. We will take the French Competition Authority's feedback into consideration and adapt our offers," Google said.

"We have acted in good faith throughout the entire process," the spokesperson said, adding that Google was "the only company to have announced agreements on neighbouring rights."

"The fine ignores our efforts to reach an agreement, and the reality of how news works on our platforms," the company added.

Google has been under heavy regulatory fire in the EU with German antitrust authorities also launching an investigation.

Google must now present proposals for methods of compensation for publishers and their news articles. If it fails to do so, it could face even steeper fines of up to €900,000 per day.

Read more: EU to launch antitrust investigation into Google advertising

French antitrust chief Isabelle de Silva said:  "When the authority decrees an obligation for a company, it must comply scrupulously, both in the spirit and letter (of the decision).

"Here, this was unfortunately not the case," she added.

The European Commission is also currently looking into claims that unfair practices on the part of Google are forcing smaller companies out of business. 

According to Statista, 92.47% of all internet searches globally are conducted through Google's search engine, making it effectively the gateway to the internet.

Back to Homepage

Back to Technology & Innovation