French regulators have imposed a €250 million fine on Google for breaching a 2022 agreement regarding fair compensation for news content and for concerns related to its AI chatbot, Bard.
Copyright and AI at the Core
The French competition watchdog cited Google's failure to negotiate in good faith with publishers regarding payments for content use. It also raised concerns that Google's AI service was trained on news articles without notifying publishers or the regulator.
Years-Long Battle for Publisher Rights
France has fiercely advocated for the protection of news publisher rights against tech giants. The EU's creation of "neighbouring rights" copyrights was designed to ensure fair compensation for media outlets when their work is shared online. France was the first EU country to implement these protections.
Previous Disputes and Fines
This recent fine stems from a 2019 complaint by French news organisations. Google initially fought the case, resulting in a €500 million fine in 2021. In 2022, Google dropped its appeal and agreed to negotiate fairly with publishers. The current fine indicates Google violated terms of that settlement.
Google's Response
Google acknowledged the fine, stating they were the first platform to broadly license news content under EU copyright directives. However, they believe the French authority's actions are disproportionate and do not adequately reflect their efforts in addressing concerns. Google says they want to work constructively with French publishers.
AI and Content Scraping
This decision highlights the growing controversy surrounding AI services that utilise vast amounts of online data for training, including journalistic content, without explicit consent or compensation for creators.
