Google Faces EU Antitrust Challenge From Publishers Over AI

The complaint, submitted on Tuesday, centers on Google’s use of publisher content within its artificial intelligence tools. The EPC argues that the technology giant is leveraging its dominant position in online search to access and repurpose news content without providing compensation to publishers. According to Reuters, the dispute comes amid broader concerns from rivals and media organizations that large technology firms could use their power in emerging AI markets to sideline competitors.

Christian Van Thillo, chairman of the EPC, said the issue goes beyond competition and strikes at the core of how journalism is funded. “It is about stopping a dominant gatekeeper from using its market power to take publishers’ content without consent, without fair compensation, and without giving publishers any realistic way to protect their journalism,” he said in a statement.

Van Thillo also warned of deeper consequences for the digital ecosystem. “AI Overviews and AI Mode fundamentally undermine the economic compact that has sustained the open web,” he said. He added that if such practices persist, “the damage will be structural and irreversible.”

We’d love to be your preferred source for news.

Please add us to your preferred sources list so our news, data and interviews show up in your feed. Thanks!

Add as Preferred Source

The European Commission confirmed in December that it had launched an investigation into Google’s practices. Per Reuters, regulators said at the time that the company may be abusing its market position in search to impose unfair trading conditions on publishers. The EPC’s complaint echoes those concerns, asserting that Google relies on its control over search distribution to maintain access to publisher content without entering into licensing agreements.

Related: US Justice Department, States Challenge Google Antitrust Remedies in Appeal

According to Reuters, the council pointed out that some other AI providers have reached licensing arrangements with publishers, whereas Google has “largely avoided doing so” and instead “relies on its control of search to secure ongoing access to content without payment.”

The EPC argues that publishers face a difficult dilemma. Remaining visible in Google search results often requires allowing their content to be crawled and incorporated into the company’s AI features. “In practice, opting out of AI use entails a loss of search visibility that most publishers cannot afford,” the council alleges. The complaint further contends that Google’s approach may amount to “systematic breaches of EU copyright law.”

Google rejected the allegations. A company spokesperson said: “These inaccurate claims are an attempt to hold back helpful new AI features that Europeans want. We design our AI features to surface great content across the web and we provide easy-to-use controls for them to manage their content.”

The complaint adds to mounting scrutiny of how major technology firms deploy artificial intelligence tools and monetize online content, with EU regulators increasingly examining whether established digital players are extending their dominance into new technological frontiers, according to Reuters.

Source: Reuters