Polish regulator suspects Google abused dominant position in publisher payment talks
Poland’s antitrust watchdog suspects Google abused its dominant position in negotiations over payments to domestic publishers for content shown in Search, Google News and Discover. The maximum fine for abuse may amount to 10% of a company’s turnover.
1. Regulator alleges unfair talks
Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection said it suspects Alphabet’s Google of abusing its dominant market position while negotiating remuneration with domestic media publishers. The regulator alleges Google did not provide data publishers needed to assess its offers, creating an information imbalance that prevented fair negotiations.
2. Probe and potential penalty
The investigation concerns content displayed in Google Search, Google News and Discover and follows a 2024 Polish copyright law amendment implementing an EU directive on remuneration for press publishers. UOKiK said the maximum fine for abuse of a dominant market position may reach 10% of a company’s turnover. The Polish probe is separate from a European Commission investigation into publishers’ content in Google’s AI services.
