French Competition Watchdog Fines Google €250 Million

France's competition watchdog has announced fining Alphabet's Google €250 million ($271.73 million) for breaches related to EU intellectual property rules in its dealings with media publishers, as reported by Tassilo Hummel for Reuters.

The watchdog stated that Google's AI-powered chatbot Bard, later rebranded as Gemini, was trained on content from publishers and news agencies without their notification. I Photo: Google Small Business Facebook

The watchdog stated that Google's AI-powered chatbot Bard, later rebranded as Gemini, was trained on content from publishers and news agencies without their notification. Google agreed not to contest the facts as part of the settlement proceedings and proposed a series of remedial measures to address the identified shortcomings.

Google accepted the settlement, stating, "It is time to move on," and emphasized its focus on sustainable approaches to connecting people with quality content and working constructively with French publishers.

The company argued that the fine was disproportionate and criticized the watchdog for not sufficiently considering its efforts "in an environment where it's very hard to set a course because we can't predict which way the wind will blow next."

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