Tag: CCI

Technology

How Android phones in India will change A LOT; What the CCI rules changes for you

CCI-Google outcome: Android phone users in India will witness a lot of changes going ahead. The CCI has imposed a set of new regulations on Google in India for the Android OS platform and as of now, there are some big changes coming our way. The CCI's directives aim to make it a fair competition for all app store owners and other app developers in India, ending Google's monopoly on certain aspects of your Android phone. Even though Google expressed objections on the directives, it has to follow them if it wants to have a presence in India.While the directive is slightly complex, here is a simple breakdown of how the directive will affect Android-based smartphones in India. Note that the changes will also require Google's partners for a wide-scale implementation, which includes partne...
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Google says will allow users in India to choose default search engine on Android phones

Google says will allow users in India to choose default search engine on Android phones After failing to get a court order to block an antitrust ruling, Google on Wednesday said it will allow users in India to choose default search engine on Android-based smartphones. As part of the key changes the tech giant will make to its platforms and business in India in the aftermath of the landmark CCI ruling, OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) will be able to license individual Google apps for pre-installation on their devices. Google is also updating the Android compatibility requirements to introduce changes for partners to build non-compatible or forked variants, the company said in its blog. Last week, the Supreme Court refused a stay on a Competition Commission of India (CCI) ...
Technology

Indian startups rejoice as Android ruling against Google upheld

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered Google in October to make a series of changes. It also told Google to allow third-party app stores to be housed within its Play Store. Startups in India cheered a decision by the Supreme Court on Thursday to uphold an antitrust order that forces Google to change how it runs its popular Android platform, saying the ruling would open the market for rivals and boost competition. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered Google in October to make a series of changes, such as refraining from agreements that ensure exclusivity of its search services and mandatory pre-installation of its apps. It also told Google to allow third-party app stores to be housed within its Play Store. In a major setback for the...
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Indian internet firms see ray of hope as SC endorses NCLAT order against Google

Indian internet firms have expressed optimism about finding clear space for their apps on Android devices as Google failed to find relief in the Supreme Court on an NCLAT and CCI order against the internet giant. In a setback to Google, the Supreme Court has endorsed the order of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) declining to grant an interim stay on the imposition of a penalty of ₹1,337 crore on the US tech giant by the competition regulator for allegedly abusing its dominant position in the Android mobile device ecosystem. The top court said at the interlocutory stage, it would suffice to say that the findings of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) against Google were neither without jurisdiction nor suffering from any manifest error warranting its inte...
Technology

Google says India antitrust ruling to drive up costs for app developers

CCI in October fined Google $161 million for exploiting its dominant position in Android. Alphabet Inc's Google said on Friday that India's new antitrust order to change how the company markets its Android platform will drive up costs for app developers, equipment makers, and consequently, consumers. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) in October fined Google $161 million for exploiting its dominant position in Android, and asked it to change restrictions imposed on smartphone makers related to pre-installing apps. Google licenses its Android system to smartphone makers, but critics say that its imposition of restrictions, such as the mandatory pre-installation of its own apps, is anti-competitive. The company argues that such agreements help keep Android free. Reuters r...
Technology

CCI orders strike blow at digital adoption in India: Google

Google on Friday hit out at the competition regulator for slapping penalties for alleged abuse of its dominant position, saying the orders strike a blow at the effort to accelerate digital adoption in India and will lead to higher prices. Failing to secure an interim relief on more than ₹2,200 crore fine imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI), the US tech giant penned a blog 'The Heart of the Matter' to put across its point on how the orders would harm the digital ecosystem in the country. India, it said, is at a juncture where barriers to access must be brought down, and safe and secure smartphones made available to all. "At a time when only half of India's population is connected, the directions in the CCI's order strikes a blow at the ecosystem-wide efforts to...
Technology

Google warns Android growth in India will stall due to antitrust order

Google has so far said the CCI decision will force it to change its long-standing business model, but its Indian Supreme Court filing for the first time quantifies the impact and details the changes the company will need to make. The growth of Google's Android ecosystem is on the brink of stalling in India due to an antitrust order that asks the company to change how it markets the platform, the U.S. company has said in a Supreme Court challenge seen by Reuters. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) in October fined Alphabet Inc-owned Google $161 million for exploiting its dominant position in Android, which powers 97% of smartphones in India, and asked it to change restrictions imposed on smartphone makers related to pre-installing apps. Google has so...
Technology

Google alleges India antitrust body copied parts of EU order on Android abuse

Google has told a tribunal in India that the country's antitrust investigators copied parts of a European ruling against the U.S. firm for abusing the market dominance of its Android operating system, arguing the decision be quashed, legal papers show. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) in October fined Alphabet Inc's Google $161 million for exploiting its dominant position in markets such as online search and the Android app store, and asked it to change restrictions imposed on smartphone makers related to pre-installing apps. Sources told Reuters in October that Google was worried about the Indian decision as the remedies ordered were seen as more sweeping than the European Commission's landmark 2018 ruling for imposing unlawful restrictions on Android mobile device make...
Technology

Google gets demand notices from CCI for non-payment of penalties

The Competition Commission is understood to have issued demand notices to Google for its failure to pay within the stipulated time the penalties imposed on the internet major for anti-competitive practices, according to sources. The Competition Commission is understood to have issued demand notices to Google for its failure to pay within the stipulated time the penalties imposed on the internet major for anti-competitive practices, according to sources. Google has filed appeals before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) against the Competition Commission of India's (CCI) two orders in October. The appeals are yet to be heard by the tribunal. In October, the watchdog slapped penalties totalling Rs. 2,274.2 crore in two separate cases on Android mobile system and P...
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Sony-Zee Merger Can Hurt Competition, Scrutiny Needed, Says Antitrust Watchdog: Report

Sony and Zee in December decided to merge their television channels and film assets.(Representational)New Delhi: A merger between the Indian unit of Japan's Sony and Zee Entertainment to create a $10 billion TV enterprise will potentially hurt competition by having "unparalleled bargaining power", the antitrust watchdog found in an initial review, according to an official notice seen by Reuters.The Competition Commission of India's (CCI) Aug 3 notice to the two companies stated the watchdog is of the view that a further investigation is merited in the case.Sony and Zee in December decided to merge their television channels, film assets and streaming platforms to create a powerhouse in a key media and entertainment growth market of 1.4 billion people, challenging rivals like Walt Disney ...