France Fines Google $272 Million for News Publishing Disputes

The French Competition Authority imposed another hefty fine on Google today, Wednesday, related to a long-standing dispute regarding payments to French publishers for presenting news connected to them. The authority stated that it "imposed a fine of 250 million euros ($272 million) due to Google's failure to comply with certain commitments made during negotiations." This dispute is part of a larger effort by authorities in the European Union and worldwide to force Google and other technology companies to compensate news publishers for content. Google, the American tech giant, was compelled to negotiate with French publishers after a court endorsed an order in 2020 mandating that Google pay these funds under the European Union's 2019 copyright directives. Google stated, "We have agreed to settle the fine related to how we managed negotiations." They added, "The fine is disproportionate to the issues raised by the French supervisory authority and does not adequately consider Google’s efforts to address and resolve the concerns."