In today’s Digest, we discuss Google being hit with €2.95bn EU fine, Anthropic’s class action payout, and Midjourney’s DC image lawsuit. We also discuss Roblox adding a video feed, AI tools, and tightening age checks.

Google hit with EU fine

The European Commission has fined Google €2.95bn (£2.54bn), for breaching EU antitrust rules. Regulators say Google abused its dominance by giving preferential treatment to its Ad Exchange (AdX) within its publisher ad server and ad-buying tools.

Google now has 60 days to end these practices and address conflicts of interest in the ad tech supply chain. If it fails, the commission warned it could impose tougher remedies. 

According to Teresa Ribera, executive vice president of the commission, “Digital markets exist to serve people and must be grounded in trust and fairness. And when markets fail, public institutions must act to prevent dominant players from abusing their power.” 

Google plans to appeal. The company argues its services are competitive and that advertisers have more alternatives than ever.

AI under fire: $1.5bn Anthropic payout and Midjourney DC image lawsuit

Anthropic will pay a minimum of USD$1.5bn (£1.11bn) to settle a copyright lawsuit from authors who accused the company of using pirated books to train its AI systems. The settlement was filed for preliminary approval in a San Francisco federal court, ahead of a December trial.

Anthropic said in a court filing it faced “inordinate pressure” to settle, warning a loss at trial could have meant up to USD$1tn (£740bn) in damages. According to Justin Nelson of Susman Godfrey, the settlement “sends a powerful message to AI companies and creators alike that taking copyrighted works from these pirate websites is wrong.” 

Similarly, Warner Bros. has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Midjourney, accusing the AI image-generation startup of enabling users to create unauthorised images and videos featuring characters like Superman, Batman, and Bugs Bunny.

According to Reuters, Warner Bros. alleges that Midjourney knowingly engaged in infringement by lifting previous restrictions on generating copyrighted content. “Midjourney has made a calculated and profit-driven decision to offer zero protection for copyright owners even though Midjourney knows about the breathtaking scope of its piracy and copyright infringement,” the complaint states.

Roblox adds video feed, AI tools, and tightens age checks

Roblox has announced “Roblox Moments”, a short-form video feature that lets users capture, edit, and share 30-second gameplay clips in a TikTok-like feed. The feature, launching in beta for users 13 and older, includes music, descriptions, reactions, and in-game jump links. 

Roblox also revealed new AI-powered creation tools aimed at giving creators more artistic freedom and smarter development options. The update introduces generative features that go beyond static 3D models, allowing users to create fully interactive objects.

Meanwhile, Roblox will restrict adults from chatting with children on its platform by the end of 2025 as part of new measures to curb “bad actors.” The company plans to introduce age verification for anyone using text or chat features. Users unable to confirm they are 18 or older will need to prove an existing relationship with the person they wish to message.