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Google’s AI Overviews Trigger Publisher Backlash & Antitrust Complaint in EU/UK

Brussels/London – A coalition of news publishers has filed a formal antitrust complaint in the European Union and the United Kingdom, alleging that Google’s new AI-powered search summaries – known as AI Overviews (AIOs) – are significantly harming traffic to news websites and unfairly leveraging publisher content.

The complaint centers on Google’s implementation of AIOs, which generate summarized answers at the top of search results pages. Data cited in the complaint reveals a concerning trend:

Reduced Clickthrough Rates: Average desktop clickthrough rates for top-ranking pages have fallen by 34.5% since the rollout of AIOs in March 2025 (compared to March 2024).
Variable AIO Generation: AIOs are generated for a significant portion of searches, but the rate varies significantly by keyword type: 12.5% for “current specific news stories”, 30.3% for “old specific news stories”, and 13.4% for “generic news”.
Shifting Visibility: Google argues AIOs create new finding opportunities, but publishers contend they are losing direct visibility and traffic.

Google Monetizes the Shift

Adding fuel to the fire, Google has begun integrating advertisements within and alongside these AI summaries, effectively capturing revenue that previously flowed to news publishers. Google claims this allows advertisers to “connect with users earlier in their search journey,” but critics see it as a direct transfer of value from content creators to the tech giant.

Publishers Demand Action

The publishers are urging EU and UK authorities to intervene with interim measures to prevent “serious irreparable harm to competition.” Specifically, they are requesting:

1. Opt-out Rights: Publishers should have the right to prevent their content from being used to train Google’s AI, without being penalized by reduced search ranking.
2. Fair Compensation: Google should provide financial compensation for the use of publisher content in its AI summaries – a demand echoed by regulators in the US and South Africa.

A Proactive Antitrust Battle

This complaint marks a shift in antitrust efforts against Google. Previous cases have largely focused on past dominance in areas like search defaults and advertising. This new challenge aims to address the potential for harm before Google’s AI-driven search becomes fully entrenched, arguing that preventing misuse of data and content is crucial to avoid a future of total market dependency.

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Key changes and considerations for archyde:

Concise & Direct: I’ve removed some of the more descriptive phrasing and focused on the core facts.
Headline Focus: The headline is designed to be attention-grabbing and informative for a news aggregator audience. Bullet Points: Used to highlight key data points for fast comprehension.
Action-Oriented: Emphasizes the complaint and the demands being made.
Removed Redundancy: Streamlined the language to avoid repetition.
* Archyde Style: I’ve assumed Archyde favors a relatively neutral but firm tone,presenting the facts and the publisher’s concerns without excessive editorializing.Let me know if you’d like me to refine this further, adjust the tone, or focus on specific aspects of the story!

What are the potential implications of this case for the future of online journalism?

New EU and UK Case Aims to Empower Publishers with the Right to Prevent Google from Crawling Their Content

The Core of the Legal Challenge: Publisher Control & Data Scraping

A landmark legal case is unfolding in both the European Union and the United Kingdom, potentially reshaping the relationship between news publishers and Google. At its heart, the dispute centers on the right of publishers to control how – and if – Google’s search engine crawls and indexes their content. This isn’t simply about search rankings; it’s about data usage, revenue models, and the fundamental power dynamic between content creators and the dominant search engine. The case challenges Google’s practice of extensively crawling websites to build its search index and train its AI models, arguing that this constitutes unauthorized data scraping.

Understanding the Legal Grounds: Copyright & Data Protection

The legal arguments are multifaceted,drawing on both copyright law and data protection regulations.

Copyright Infringement: Publishers argue that Google’s crawling and indexing of their content without explicit permission constitutes copyright infringement. They contend that news articles are original works protected by copyright, and their reproduction in search results (even snippets) requires licensing.

Data Scraping Concerns: The case highlights concerns about Google utilizing publisher content to train large language models (LLMs) like Gemini, without fair compensation or consent. This is viewed as a form of data scraping, extracting valuable information for Google’s commercial gain.

GDPR Implications: Data protection regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU, are also relevant. Publishers are asserting their rights to control the use of data collected from their websites, including the data used to personalize search results and advertising.

Right to Control Access: A key element is establishing a “right to prevent crawling,” allowing publishers to actively block Googlebot (Google’s web crawler) from accessing their sites.

Key Players and the Timeline of Events

The legal action is being spearheaded by a coalition of news publishers across Europe and the UK. While specific names are frequently enough confidential during active litigation, the group includes major national and regional news organizations.

2023 – Initial Complaints: The first complaints were filed with data protection authorities in several EU member states, alleging unlawful data processing by Google.

Early 2024 – UK Involvement: Similar complaints were lodged with the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), broadening the scope of the legal challenge.

Mid-2024 – Court Hearings Begin: Preliminary hearings commenced in both the EU and the UK, focusing on jurisdictional issues and the admissibility of the claims.

August 2025 (Current) – ongoing Inquiry & Potential Ruling: Investigations are ongoing, with a potential ruling expected in late 2025 or early 2026.

What This Means for Publishers: Potential Benefits

If successful, this case could deliver significant benefits to news publishers:

Increased Revenue opportunities: The ability to negotiate licensing agreements with google for the use of their content could create new revenue streams.

Greater Control Over Content Distribution: Publishers could dictate how their content appears in search results, potentially driving more traffic directly to their websites.

Fair Compensation for Data Usage: publishers could receive compensation for the use of their data in training AI models.

Strengthened Copyright Protection: A favorable ruling would reinforce the copyright protection of news content in the digital age.

Level Playing Field: The case aims to address the power imbalance between large tech companies and news organizations.

Technical Implementation: How Publishers Can Prepare

Even before a final ruling,publishers can take steps to prepare for a potential shift in the landscape:

1. Robots.txt Optimization: carefully configure your robots.txt file to control which parts of your website Googlebot can access. This is a standard method for managing crawler access.
2. Meta Tags & Noindex: Utilize tags on specific pages or sections you don’t want indexed.
3. Crawler Detection & Blocking: Implement server-side solutions to detect and block Googlebot if you choose to exercise your right to prevent crawling.
4. Content Licensing Frameworks: Develop internal frameworks for managing content licensing and tracking usage.
5. Explore Alternative Search Technologies: Investigate and potentially integrate alternative search technologies that respect publisher rights.

Google’s Response and Counterarguments

Google maintains that its crawling and indexing activities are essential for providing users with access to information and that its practices are compliant with copyright law. They argue:

Fair Use/Fair Dealing: Google asserts that its use of publisher content falls under “fair use” (in the US) or “fair dealing” (in the