On October 5, 2026, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) officially charged four entities within the Google corporate group with abuse of a dominant position on the Polish market. The proceedings concern the way the corporation conducted negotiations with Polish press publishers regarding compensation for the use of their content in the search engine and in the Google News and Discover services. According to the Office, the tech giant failed to provide publishers with legally required information, preventing them from objectively evaluating the offered rates.

Lack of transparency in negotiations

The charge formulated by the President of UOKiK stems from an analysis of practices applied by Google in its relations with organizations representing Polish publishers. According to the Office's findings, despite existing regulations, the company did not present counterparties with the data necessary to verify the proposed compensation when offering it. Among the missing information were, inter alia, details on the method of using press publications, the level of revenue achieved from such use, and the parameters adopted in the calculation process. The lack of documentation allowing for the verification of accounting assumptions leads, according to UOKiK, to a significant information asymmetry between the parties.

This situation prevents publishers from realistically verifying the profitability of the offer or formulating their own justified proposal. As emphasized by UOKiK President Tomasz Chróstny, regulations clearly define what data a platform operator must disclose to ensure a fair settlement. Their absence means that negotiations are nominal in nature, and a dominant market player can impose terms, which constitutes a violation of competition protection laws.

Who is covered by the charges?

The charges brought by the President of UOKiK are not limited to a single company but cover four entities within the Google group, performing different functions within the holding structure:

  • Alphabet Inc – the parent company of the entire group,
  • Google LLC – an entity specializing in advertising services, which previously managed the search engine in the European Economic Area,
  • Google Ireland Limited – the operator currently running and managing the Google search engine in the EEA,
  • Google Poland – a company involved in the sale of internet advertising space.

The issue of the liability of individual legal entities will be the subject of further analysis in the course of the ongoing proceedings.

Legal and economic context

The UOKiK proceedings refer to the 2024 amendment to copyright law, which implemented the EU DSM Directive (2019/790) on copyright in the Digital Single Market. These provisions strengthen the position of publishers by requiring internet platforms to pay for the use of fragments of press articles. The aim of these regulations is not only the economic security of media outlets but also the protection of press independence and pluralism, which are considered foundations of democracy.

Modern internet search engines have changed user habits, with consumers increasingly obtaining information solely based on search results and syntheses generated by artificial intelligence, without clicking on links to full texts. As a result, service operators, such as Google, generate revenue from ads displayed next to the results, while publishers lose traffic to their pages and associated income. The compensation mechanism is intended to offset these losses; however, its effectiveness depends on the transparency of negotiations, which, as demonstrated by the UOKiK proceedings, is not always achieved.

Separate European Commission proceedings

It is worth noting that the actions of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection are independent of the proceedings conducted at the EU level. In December 2025, the European Commission launched a formal investigation examining whether Google uses publisher content in AI-based services without appropriate compensation and without the possibility of objection on the part of the media.

The subject matter of both proceedings is different: UOKiK is examining practices related to the use of content in search results and the Google News and Discover services, while the European Commission focuses on aspects related to AI technologies. The parties previously agreed on a division of competences to prevent overlapping actions, but each proceeding is conducted on a separate track.

UOKiK President does not set rates

The communication emphasized that the UOKiK President is not a party to the dispute regarding the specific level of compensation rates. The Office does not assess whether the amount proposed by Google is economically justified. In the case of a lack of agreement between the platform and publishers, the statutory mechanism provides that the level of compensation may be determined by the President of the Office of Electronic Communications. UOKiK's role is limited to ensuring that the negotiation process complies with competition law and that the dominant entity does not abuse its market position to impose unfair terms.

Broader context of control over tech giants

The current Google case is part of UOKiK's broader policy towards the largest technological corporations (so-called big tech). The Office informs that an anti-monopoly proceeding against Apple, concerning practices that, under the guise of protecting user privacy, may have worked to the detriment of publishers of competing mobile applications, is in its final phase. Furthermore, an explanatory proceeding is ongoing regarding the Meta company, focusing on changes in the way links to press publications are presented.

A proven violation of competition protection provisions, such as the abuse of a dominant position, carries a financial penalty of up to 10% of the undertaking's turnover. The proceedings are ongoing, and the companies have time to submit their position in response to the charges made.