Google has refused to pay to show news stories in its search results in France, where the first new European Copyright Directive-based legislation is being introduced next month.

The tech giant will instead remove the short previews of news stories it shows under the hyperlinked headlines in search results, unless publishers specify say they want a certain amount of information to show.

Article 15 (formerly Article 11) of the European Copyright Directive, which was adopted by the European Council in April, forces online platforms and aggregators to pay press publishers to use their content.