(Finance) – The French Antitrust he issued one fine of 250 million euros against Alphabet (Google), for failing to meet some of its commitments made in June 2022.
It’s about the fourth sentence of the French Competition Authority in four years, and fits in in the context of the reception of the EU Copyright Directiveaimed at creating the necessary conditions for more balanced relationships between press, publishers and digital platforms. The legislative framework – recalls the French authority – aimed to redefine, to the benefit of the press actorssharing the value generated and addressing the profound changes that have affected the sector in recent years, in particular the growth of the digital audience in conjunction with the decline in the diffusion of the printed paper and the fact that a significant share of the advertising value is now held by the main digital platforms.
After ordering provisional measures in the form of injunctions, in April 2020, the French Authority found that chand Google had failed to comply with those injunctions and he inflicted a fine of 500 million euros, condemning Google to comply. Subsequently, ruling on the merits, the Authority had accepted, for a period of five years, renewable only once, the commitments proposed by Google to put an end to the violation. Engagements which did not materialize and which pushed the French Antitrust to fine Google once again for having failed to meet four of his seven commitmentsie for not having cooperated with the supervisory authorities.