Tag: Google CCI

Technology

Google asks India’s top court to quash Android antitrust directives

Google has urged India's Supreme Court to quash antitrust directives against it for abuse of the Android market, two sources said, as its presses its legal battle against the competition watchdog in one of its most important markets.The Competition Commission of India (CCI) said in October that Google, whose Android mobile operating system powers 97% of the 600 million smartphones in India, had exploited its dominant position. It ordered Google to remove restrictions imposed on device makers, including those related to the pre-installation of apps, and fined the U.S. firm $163 million, which it paid. In March, an Indian tribunal gave partial relief to the Alphabet Inc unit by setting aside four of the 10 directives in the case.The tribunal said CCI's findings of Google's anti-competiti...
Technology

Google under CCI lens in India after payments complaints from Tinder-owner, startups

Google is being probed in India by Competition Commission of India (CCI) after some companies alleged the service fee the U.S. firm charges for in-app payments breaches an earlier antitrust directive. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Friday issued an order stating "it is of the opinion that an inquiry needs to be made," a report by Reuters informed.As per the information, Tinder-owner Match Group and Indian startups have asked the watchdog to investigate Google's new User Choice Billing (UCB) system, which they alleged was anti-competitive. Notably, the order is not public and Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The CCI imposed a $113 million fine on Google in October and said it must allow the use of third-party billing and stop forcing developers ...
Technology

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

Will Google India follow same regime as in Europe with regard to pre-installed apps in Android phones, asks SC

Will Google India follow same regime as in Europe with regard to pre-installed apps in Android phones, asks SC The Supreme Court on Monday asked Google India, locked in a legal battle over a hefty ₹1,337 crore penalty, if it will follow the same regime in India as it does in Europe with regard to pre-installed apps in Android-based mobile smartphones. The top court was hearing a plea of the US tech giant against an order of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) refusing an interim stay on the competition regulator imposing a ₹1,337 crore penalty on it. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and J B Pardiwala asked senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for the US firm, to clarify this aspect at the next hearing. "Will Google practise ...
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, fined $162 mn by Indian watchdog reacts, calls it major setback

Google has been fined more than $160 mn by India's anti-trust watchdog after a probe found the tech behemoth was abusing its commanding position in the smartphone market. Google has been fined more than $160 million by India's anti-trust watchdog after a probe found the tech behemoth was abusing its commanding position in the local smartphone market.The California-based company's Android mobile operating system is by far the dominant player in India and is run on 95 percent of all the country's smartphones, according to research agency Counterpoint. But the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said the operating system was configured to unlawfully crowd out rivals to YouTube, web browser Chrome and other popular Google apps. Android had a suite of Google apps pre-installed on its ph...