French regulators fine Google $272 million in dispute with news publishers

PARIS (AP) — France’s competition watchdog has hit Google with another big fine tied to a long-running dispute over payments to French publishers for their news. The French Competition Authority said Wednesday that it issued the $272 million penalty because of Google’s failure to comply with some commitments it made in a negotiating framework. The dispute is part of a larger effort by authorities in the European Union and around the world to force Google and other tech companies to compensate news publishers for content. The U.S. tech giant was forced to negotiate with French publishers after a court in 2020 upheld an order saying payments were required by a 2019 European Union copyright directive.