Big Tech giant Google accepted a fine of 250 million euros from the French competition authorities on the grounds of a breach of EU copyright laws during AI training.
The French competition authority cited concerns about Google’s AI service, Gemini, previously known as Bard, alleging it was trained on content from local publishers and news agencies without the proper notification and clearance., Google responded to the fine, claiming to be the “first and only platform” to have licensing agreements with 280 French press publishers, which amounts to “several tens of millions of euros per year.
Google accepted this demand and the fine to finally end a case that, in its own words, “has been open for too long.” Google’s fine is connected to a copyright dispute case in France set in motion due to complaints from some of the country’s leading news companies, including Agence France Presse, over online content.