The French court has ordered Google to suspend a project that limits news content in search results

A court in Paris on Wednesday (Nov. 13) ordered Google to suspend a project that reportedly aimed to limit the visibility of certain news articles in search results.

The order was issued following a request from SEPM, a union representing magazine staff in France. The union alleged that Google planned to initiate a settlement that would exclude certain articles from publishers involved in a dispute over the rights to use online news content.

According to AFP, Google described the project as a “temporary experiment” intended to assess how content from European publishers affects the user experience on search engines.

In recent years, tech giants like Google have faced increasing pressure to compensate news providers for their content, which appears in search results. To address these concerns, the European Union has introduced a form of copyright law, called ‘neighboring rights’ law, which gives media outlets the right to seek compensation for content used online.

France, where Google and SEPM have been in long-term negotiations, has been a testing ground for these rules. After initially resisting, both Google and Facebook have since agreed to pay some French media companies. However, the Paris court’s latest order asks Google “not to continue testing” its plan or face a possible fine of “300,000 euros each.”

The SEPM union, which represents about 80 media groups, welcomed the ruling, claiming it would “protect the interests of the French press.” However, Google expressed surprise at SEPM’s resistance, arguing that the project aimed to collect data because “independent administrative authorities and press publishers have asked us for more information about the impact of displaying news content in our search engine.”

Earlier this year, the French competition authority fined Google 250 million euros for failure to comply with specific obligations regarding neighboring rights. Google is not alone in these disputes; Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) is also facing lawsuits from French publishers such as Le Monde and Le Figaro over similar payment issues.

(With input from agencies)