Polish regulator suspects Google abused dominant position in publisher payment talks

None immediately responded to a Reuters request for comment. UOKiK alleges that Google failed to provide publishers with sufficient data to properly assess its payment offers, creating an information imbalance that prevented fair negotiations over remuneration for their content.

"Big tech companies cannot place themselves above the law," UOKiK President Tomasz Chrostny said in the statement, adding that the lack of data made negotiations "illusory" and tended towards Google imposing its terms. The dispute follows a 2024 amendment to Polish copyright law implementing an EU directive under which online services may use press publishers' content in exchange for remuneration.

UOKiK said the maximum fine for abusing a dominant market position could amount to 10% of a company's turnover. The regulator said its investigation is separate from a European Commission probe opened in December 2025 into whether Google used publishers' content in its artificial intelligence services without adequate compensation or without giving publishers the ability to object.

The Polish investigation focuses on Google Search, Google News and Discover and is being conducted independently following an agreement with the European Commission, UOKiK said. In December 2024, Polish e-commerce group Allegro's price comparison platform Ceneo sued Alphabet for 2.33 billion zlotys ($568 million) in damages, alleging anti-competitive behaviour.