French regulator hits Google with 272m fine over media licensing deal

France's competition watchdog has fined Google 250 million euros ( 272m) for breaching commitments to media companies on content licensing. The French Competition Authority said on Wednesday that it was imposing the fine as part of additional measures over a 2019 case that organisations representing French magazines and newspapers had lodged against the United States tech giant and other online platforms. The media outlets accused the tech companies of making billions from their content without sharing the revenue with those who gathered it. In 2021, the watchdog fined Google 500 million euros ( 592m) for failing to negotiate in good faith. The dispute appeared to be resolved in 2022 when the company dropped its appeal against the fine.