Google Has Filed an Appeal Against the French Antitrust Authority's €5OOM Punishment

Google Has Filed an Appeal Against the French Antitrust Authority's €5OOM Punishment

Google has stated that it will appeal the €500 million (US $591 million) fine issued by the French antitrust authority Autorité de la concurrence (“Autorité”) in July. The fine was imposed in response to growing international pressure on internet platforms to contribute a larger portion of the money produced by the usage of news from local media outlets.

The EU amended its digital copyright laws in 2019, granting press publishers a new freedom to make their publications available online. “Authors of works integrated in the press publication will be entitled to a portion of the money generated by this new right,” says the press publisher. For years, Google News and other internet sharing platforms have taken information from newspapers and published it on their websites.

Moreover, regardless of its appeal, Google will have to pay the fine by the deadline, according to Autorité. It's unclear how long the appeal would take or how Google will be able to recoup the fee if it wins. Such disputed fines are usually held in escrow until the dispute is resolved. According to the Autorité's July ruling, Google must submit proposals within two months outlining how it would compensate local news organizations for utilizing their content. Additional fines of up to €900,000 per day might be imposed if this is not done.