France’s competition watchdog announced on Wednesday that it has fined Alphabet’s Google €250 million ($271.73 million) for violations related to EU intellectual property regulations concerning its interactions with media publishers. The concerns raised by the watchdog revolve around Google’s AI service.
The regulator stated that Google’s AI-driven chatbot, previously known as Bard and now rebranded as Gemini, was trained using content from publishers and news agencies without their prior notification.
As part of settlement proceedings, Google has agreed not to contest the findings and has proposed several corrective measures to address the identified issues.
Google expressed its acceptance of the settlement, emphasizing the need to move forward and concentrate on fostering sustainable approaches to connecting users with high-quality content, as well as collaborating positively with French publishers.
The company argued that the imposed fine was disproportionate and claimed that the watchdog failed to adequately consider its efforts, particularly in a dynamic environment where predicting outcomes is challenging.
The fine stems from a copyright dispute in France regarding online content, initially prompted by complaints from leading news organizations including Agence France Presse. Although it seemed resolved in 2022 when Google withdrew its appeal against an initial €500 million fine issued following a major investigation by the Autorite de la Concurrence, the watchdog’s statement on Wednesday indicates that Google breached four out of seven commitments outlined in the settlement, including conducting negotiations with publishers in good faith and providing transparent information.
The watchdog specifically highlighted Google’s AI chatbot Bard, launched in 2023, which it alleges was trained on data from undisclosed media outlets and news agencies without Google informing them or the regulator.
