The Google logo (illustration).

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On paper, Google is under the maximum threat of a fine of 16 billion euros.

A "dissuasive" punishment must be pronounced against the Web giant for not having respected the injunction which was made to it in April to negotiate "in good faith" with the publishers and press agencies under the "neighboring right" , recommends an internal report from the Competition Authority, according to sources having access to this document.

The rapporteurs deem the breaches of "quite exceptional" seriousness, added these sources.

The college of the Authority must now decide on a possible financial penalty and set the amount.

The report recommends a sanction "dissuasive for the future" with a penalty "sufficiently dissuasive for a company such as Google", specified these same sources.

The maximum fine that the Competition Authority can set in the case of a company is 10% of the amount of worldwide turnover excluding taxes, which reached 160 billion euros for Google in 2020.

Share digital profits

"Our priority is to be in compliance with the law, and to continue to negotiate in good faith with newspaper publishers, as evidenced by the agreements we have reached with many of them in recent months. We will now take knowledge of the notification of grievances, and will work closely with the Competition Authority, "reacted a spokesperson for Google.

AFP management, which is one of the press organizations to seize the authority, did not comment.

The Syndicate of Magazine Press Editors (SEPM) did not wish to react.

The French press accused Google at the end of 2019 of flouting neighboring rights, this right similar to copyright, created by a European directive and supposed to lead to a better sharing of digital revenues for the benefit of newspaper publishers and press agencies. .

This new right barely entered into force in France, Google had decided unilaterally to index less well the newspapers which would refuse to let it continue to exploit their contents free (titles, extracts of articles and thumbnails) in its search results.

The French press, having little choice, had complied but immediately seizing the Competition Authority, which in April 2020 had ordered Google to negotiate "in good faith" with publishers, a decision then confirmed by the Court call from Paris.

Agreement in Australia

In mid-January, the General Information Press Alliance (Apig, which represents in particular national and regional dailies) and Google announced an agreement that paves the way for newspaper remuneration, which had been welcomed by the Authority. competition.

The amount of this windfall had not been specified, the financial data of the agreement being confidential.

It will be set individually, according to criteria such as "the contribution to political and general information, the daily volume of publications or even the monthly internet audience", the two parties had specified.

Beyond France, several countries are trying to make the major platforms, including Google and Facebook, which dominate the global advertising market, pay for their use of press content.

The Australian Parliament finally passed the first such legislation on Thursday, but had to agree to compromise on points to which the behemoths that dominate the internet were fiercely opposed.

The first legislation of this type, to the point of attracting the attention of governments around the world, it was adopted a few days after agreements directly concluded between Facebook, Google and various Australian media.

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Neighboring rights: Google will finally pay the French press

  • Competition Authority

  • Copyright

  • Media

  • Google

  • High Tech