Advocate General says AI chatbots may infringe press publishers’ rights

Advocate General Maciej Szpunar advised the Court of Justice of the European Union, in an opinion delivered on 3 November 2026 in Case C-250/25 Like Company, that real-time retrieval and reuse of press publications by AI chatbots may in certain circumstances infringe press publishers’ rights. The case concerns Google Gemini, which Like Company says reproduced articles from its Hungarian web portals between 13 June 2023 and 31 May 2024. He advises that infringement depends on whether the chatbot accessed the publication unlawfully, such as by circumventing a paywall, and whether its answer reuses the form of expression so recognisably that a user need not visit the original; the Court has yet to rule.

When

3 Nov 2026

ID

WTA-N-2026-0656

Where

European Union

Who

Court of Justice of the European Union, Like Company, Google; Maciej Szpunar

Topics

Copyright, Frontier models

Authority

Court of Justice of the European Union (Advocate General Szpunar), on a reference from the Budapest Regional Court

Target

Google (Gemini chatbot), in Like Company’s press publisher’s right claim

Action

Advocate General’s opinion that chatbot answers reusing press publications may infringe press publishers’ rights

Status

open · Enforcement ledger

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