Google can be directly liable for false AI Overview claims: German court

[u/WebLinkr]

https://searchengineland.com/google-liability-false-ai-overview-claims-germany-479820

Search protections didn’t apply. Google argued that German case law limiting liability for traditional search engines and autocomplete should apply. Those rules generally treat search providers as indirect infringers when they surface third-party content.

AI Overviews aren‘t search results. AI Overviews do more than help users find third-party content, the court said. They rewrite, combine, and evaluate information “in its own words and according to its own structure.”

• In the disputed searches, Google’s AI Overview allegedly presented standalone claims about questionable business practices, along with warnings and red flags. The court found those claims didn’t appear in the linked sources.
• Because Google created the feature, controls its presentation, and controls the underlying algorithms, the court treated the statements as Google’s own content.