France’s antitrust watchdog has slapped a €500 million fine on Google which has allegedly failed to comply with the country’s publishers over copyright issues.
According to a report filed in Reuters, the fine comes amid rising international pressure on tech conglomerates such as Google and Facebook to share revenue with media outlets.
ALSO READ
Oppo Plans to Bring Revolutionary AI With 6G in 2035
Google submitted its official response to the fine, saying that it’s very disappointed with the decision despite maintaining relations with publishers in good faith. In a statement, the tech giant explained,
Our objective remains the same: we want to turn the page with a definitive agreement. We will take French Competition Authority’s feedback into consideration and adapt our offers
A Google official also supported Google’s stance on the matter, adding that “we have acted in good faith throughout the entire process. The fine ignores our efforts to reach an agreement, and the reality of how news works on our platforms”.
ALSO READ
Nokia to Launch a Rugged Phone on July 27
French media groups such as APIG, SEPM, and AFP accuse Google of failing to establish a “common ground for remuneration of news content online”, and the underlined penalty will add up to €1.1 million per day if the tech giant doesn’t compensate these publishers within the coming two months.
It’s worth mentioning that this is the largest-ever fine imposed by France for any company’s failure to adhere to the region’s regulations.
