France Fines Google IDR 4.2 Trillion For Using Content From News Publishers To Train Gemini

Illustration of Google company (photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The French Competition Authority fined the company Alphabet Inc. or Google 250 million euros (4.28 trillion) for not complying with the mandatory commitments based on a decision that was approved in June 2022.

Competition authorities have revealed that Google is ignoring some of the commitments from previous decisions against news publishers, namely by using content from news publishers used to train Gemini's generative AI model, or formerly known as Bard.

Google fined €250m for non-compliance with its commitments on publishers’ related rights. The @Adlc_ noted inter alia the use of press content by the #AI Bard service without notifying press publishers and without offering an effective opt-out solution.https://t.co/2JmGAnPTw4

— Benoît Cœuré (@BCoeure) March 20, 2024

Google fined €250m for non-compliance with its commitments on publishers’ related rights. The @Adlc_ noted inter alia the use of press content by the #AI Bard service without notifying press publishers and without offering an effective opt-out solution.https://t.co/2JmGAnPTw4

In this case, the business competition authority found Google's fault because the search giant failed to notify news publishers of their copyrighted content used.

"With regard to the Card' artificial intelligence service launched by Google in July 2023, the Authority noted specifically that it has used content from publishers and press agencies for the purpose of training its founding model, without notifying them or the Authority," the French Competition Authority wrote in its official broadcast.

The Competition Authority also stated that Google had promised not to refute these facts, so it could benefit from the settlement procedure.

Earlier in 2019, the European Union passed a digital copyright-related law, aiming to establish conditions for balanced negotiations between publishers, press agencies, and digital platforms.

Google initially tried to circumvent the law, by turning off Google News in France. But in 2021, Google was fined $592 million after competition authorities discovered major violations in its negotiations with publishers and local agencies.

After that, Google called the sanction "disproportionate" and stated it would file an appeal. But then, Google tried to resolve the dispute by offering a series of promises and withdrawing its appeals.

Google has also signed a copyright agreement with hundreds of publishers in France who are included in the agreement with Autorit\'e. So that its business in this field is very strict.