Google fined for training Gemini on news content without consent

French authorities fined Google EUR 250 (USD 270) million for using articles from news publishers to train its AI chatbot, Gemini, without obtaining prior permission. 

France's Autorité de la Concurrence competition authority announced it had issued the fine on the basis that Google had used content from press agencies and media companies to train its Bard (since renamed Gemini) chatbot without notifying the publishers or the French authority, and as it had failed to give publishers an opt-out of the use of their content.

This fine is the latest part of an ongoing dispute between the French competition authority and Google over monopoly-related issues. 

In 2020, the Autorité had found that Google had failed to negotiate in good faith with media companies on fair compensation, and had instructed the tech firm 'to conduct negotiations in good faith with publishers and news agencies on the remuneration for the re-use of their protected contents' - to which Google had agreed.

Legal, regulatory 👩🏼‍⚖️

• Autorité de la Concurrence (2024). Related rights: the Autorité fines Google €250 million for non-compliance with some of its commitments made in June 2022

News, commentary, analysis 🗞️

• https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/20/french-competition-watchdog-hits-google-with-250-million-euro-fine.html

• https://www.reuters.com/technology/french-competition-watchdog-hits-google-with-250-mln-euro-fine-2024-03-20/

• https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/french-regulators-fine-google-272-million-dispute-news-108303070

• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-20/google-fined-250-million-in-french-clash-with-news-publishers

• https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/20/google-hit-with-270m-fine-in-france-as-authority-finds-news-publishers-data-was-used-for-gemini/

• https://blog.google/intl/fr-fr/nouvelles-de-lentreprise/chez-google/accord-regler-differend-qui-dure-depuis-trop-longtemps/