“The sanction of 500 million euros takes into account the exceptional seriousness of the breaches observed”
The French competition watchdog has fined Google €500 million over a row with media companies about paying them for their content.
The Alphabet Inc. unit ignored a 2020 decision to negotiate in good faith for displaying snippets of articles on its Google News service, the Autorité de la concurrence said Tuesday. The fine is the second-biggest antitrust penalty in France for a single company.
“The sanction of 500 million euros takes into account the exceptional seriousness of the breaches observed,” said Isabelle de Silva, president of the French agency.
Google described the decision as "very disappointing," a spokesperson said. Google added that it’s about to reach an agreement with Agence France-Presse that included a global licensing agreement.
