As part of an antitrust deal with French authorities, Google would pay a 220 million euro (almost $270 million) fine and make reforms to its massive internet advertising business.

The punishment comes as the Internet giant faces various anti-competitive lawsuits in the United States, and it might lead to similar settlements with agencies worldwide. Facebook, the other leading player in digital advertising, is being scrutinized separately by EU authorities on allegations that it's handling of data provides it an unfair competitive advantage.

France's competition regulator said that in a report on Monday that it had penalized Google "for exploiting its dominating position" in the market for online advertising to the detriment of substitute platforms and publishers.

The authority accused Google of granting "preference treatment" to its ad management software for major publications, Google Ad Manager. As per the watchdog, it did so by preferring its very own online ad marketplace, AdX, where publishers trade space to advertisers in real-time.

"The judgment penalizing Google is particularly noteworthy because it is the world's first judgment to analyze the complicated algorithmic auction methods through which online display advertising functions," France's antitrust commissioner Isabelle de Silva said in a statement.

As part of the settlement deal, Google agreed to make it simpler for French publishers to utilize its data and tools in conjunction with other ad technology. "Over the coming months, we would test and developing these modifications before rolling them out more generally, including a few internationally," the business stated in a statement.

"We are dedicated to working constructively with regulators throughout the world to enhance our products," it added.

According to De Silva, the penalties and Google's obligations "would restore a fair playing field for all participants and publishers' capacity to make the most out of their advertising space".

The lawsuit arose as a result of allegations filed by News Corp, the French news publishing firm Le Figaro, and the Belgian press organization Rossel. Google agreed earlier this year in a breakthrough deal under new copyright regulations to compensate French news publishers for their data. Similar agreements were eventually reached with News Corp and Seven West Media in Australia.

In the United States, Google is experiencing multiple antitrust charges, including one initiated by the federal government, which accuses the corporation of running an illegal monopoly in markets for internet search and search advertising.