French media firms said Thursday that they would drag Google before the country's competition regulator over its refusal to pay for displaying their content in search results, setting up a legal fight over a new EU copyright law.
The APIG press alliance, which groups dozens of national and regional newspapers, said it would also press the French government to take action against the US internet giant.
"We are outraged," said Jean-Michel Baylet, APIG president and chief executive of the Depeche du Midi newspaper in southern France.
"Nobody can flout the law, but that's what Google is doing," he said. "The future of the French and European press is at stake."
The company rejected the claims in a statement to AFP, saying: "Google helps internet users find news content from many sources and the results are always based on relevance, not trade agreements."
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