India imposes a $160 million fine on Google
According to the report from BBC, The Indian antitrust regulator imposed a fine of $160m on Google for dominating the Android market. A court has upheld the fine.
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) reversed four of ten antitrust directives imposed on Google, concluding that the findings of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) were correct.
Android is the operating system used by more than 95% of Indian smartphones. In October, the CCI fined Google for “unfair” business practices for exploiting its dominant position.
Additionally, it asked Google to give users the option to choose their default search engine and not force manufacturers to preinstall the entirety of Google’s apps.
In 2019, an inquiry into Android phones was launched following consumer complaints. A similar case was brought against Google in Europe, where regulators fined the company $5bn for using Android to gain an unfair competitive advantage.
In India’s Supreme Court, Google challenged the fine and the directives, saying, “no other jurisdiction has ever asked for such far-reaching changes”.
Over 1,100 device manufacturers and thousands of app developers would have to change their arrangements due to the changes, the company claimed.
However, the top court refused to block the CCI directives and allowed a lower court to continue hearing the appeal.
A ruling by NCLAT means that Google can stop users from removing its preinstalled apps from their phones after agreeing to cooperate with the watchdog in January.
Users can also continue to use the Play Store to get apps instead of Google’s app store, and other app stores are free to be blocked from the store.
