On November 14, 2024, the Commercial Court of Paris mandated Google to abandon a project aimed at rendering certain media articles invisible, amid a dispute over neighboring rights with several publishers.
The court's decision was prompted by an urgent appeal from the Syndicat des éditeurs de la presse magazine (SEPM), which had learned of Google's intention to initiate this test. Google described the initiative as a "limited-time experiment" intended to assess the impact of displaying European press content on user search experiences and traffic directed to publishers.
The ongoing negotiations between Google and the SEPM relate to copyright neighboring rights established for digital platforms by a European directive in 2019, which entitles media outlets to compensation when their content is reused by major tech companies.
The court ordered Google LLC, Google Ireland, and Google France to refrain from proceeding with the test, threatening a daily penalty of 300,000 euros for each entity involved, totaling 900,000 euros. A final resolution is expected from a judge at a later date.
The SEPM expressed satisfaction with the ruling, emphasizing the protection of the broader interests of the French press and indicating vigilance regarding future developments in the case. In contrast, Google expressed surprise at the SEPM's stance, noting that the organization had previously requested data related to the experiment.
In March 2024, Google faced a 250 million euro fine from the French Competition Authority for failing to meet certain commitments made in 2022 regarding similar disputes with French media.