Google is appealing against a fine of half a billion euros in France

The American Internet company Google is appealing against a fine of half a billion euros, which was imposed on the company by the French competition authority in July. The sanction is due to a dispute between Google and the French media over payments for news content. "We do not agree with a number of legal elements and believe that the fine is not in line with our efforts to reach an agreement and comply with the new law," said Sebastien Missoffe, head of Google's French division. "We are still working hard to resolve this case and conclude agreements. This includes expanding the offerings to 1,200 publishers, clarifying the terms of the contracts and sharing more data with the French competition authority, "he added. The Competition Authority fined Google for concluding that the company had not complied with its regulations on how to conduct interviews with news publishers. The office warned on Wednesday that filing an appeal does not release Google from its obligation to pay the fine imposed. "It's the most severe fine," said Isabelle De Silva, president of the Antitrust Authority. Her institution has not yet imposed such a large sentence for non-compliance with its regulation. In a decision of July 13, the office said that Google must come up with proposals within two months to compensate news agencies and other publishers for using their news content. He added that if the company did not do so, it would face further fines, up to 900,000 euros per day.