German court rules Google directly liable for false AI Overview statements

The Regional Court of Munich ruled that Google’s AI Overviews are the company’s own content, not protected as neutral search results. The court found the AI-generated summaries made false claims about two Munich publishers, linking them to scams and dubious business practices that were not present in the original sources. As a result, a temporary injunction bars Google from repeating those claims and orders it to pay 80% of the legal costs.

Google argued that existing case law for traditional search engines should apply, but the court rejected that view, emphasizing that AI Overviews rewrite and evaluate information in their own words. Google has issued a statement saying the decision is not final and that it is reviewing its AI policies to improve accuracy and correct errors.