Poland Opens Antitrust Investigation Into Google Over Publisher Remuneration Negotiations

Poland's competition watchdog, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK), has launched an antitrust investigation into Alphabet Inc.'s Google over suspected abuse of market dominance. The inquiry examines Google's negotiations with Polish publishers regarding compensation for displaying articles and snippets on Search, Google News, and Discover. Regulators allege Google withheld necessary operational data, creating an information asymmetry that impeded fair negotiations. The probe stems from 2024 Polish copyright law reforms implementing European Union platform payment directives. If found guilty, Google faces potential financial penalties of up to 10% of its annual global turnover.