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    Google warns of stalling Android growth in India due to CCI’s antitrust order 

    Monika Asthana
    Monika Asthana
    A seasoned tech journalist with a background in finance, Monika honed her storytelling skills at Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication. While a self-proclaimed ambivert hailing from the beautiful city of Bhopal, Monika thrives on building connections and exploring new horizons, both figuratively (through travel) and literally (through lip-smacking Momos!). Yet, at the end of the day, there is no place quite like home, and nothing beats the comfort of a home-cooked meal by mom.
    In October, CCI fined Google Rs 1337.76 crore for abusing its dominant position by forcefully entering “one-sided agreements” with Android mobile makers.

     

    Competition Commission of India’s antitrust verdict will stall the growth of the Android ecosystem in the country, Google said in its Supreme Court filing and as reported by Reuters. The U.S. multinational tech giant has said that the watchdog’s order will force it to change its long-standing business model “which has been in place for the last 14-15 years.”

     

    Apart from modifying its existing contracts, the remedial directions also demand Google to introduce new license agreements and alter its existing arrangements with more than 1,100 device manufacturers and thousands of app developers, the media report added.

     

    Just a few days back, Google challenged the CCI’s antitrust order on its anti-competitive practices related to Android mobile devices. This came after the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal ordered the company to pay 10 percent of the Rs 1337.76 crore worth of penalty imposed by CCI as an interim measure, which kick in on January 19.

     

    In October, CCI fined Google Rs 1337.76 crore for abusing its dominant position by forcefully entering “one-sided agreements” with Android mobile makers to ensure the dominance of its apps and search engine. This has denied rivals the chance to innovate and compete on their merits, the CCI noted. The watchdog also added that the company’s licensing of its Play Store “shall not be linked with the requirement of pre-installing” its apps.

     

    Google, however, in its Supreme Court filing argued that mandatory pre-installation of its own apps such as Google Maps or YouTube helps to keep Android free. “No other jurisdiction has ever asked for such far-reaching changes based on similar conduct,” the company said in its court submissions, Reuters reported. Google has urged the apex court to put a hold on CCI’s remedial measures, a hearing of which is expected in the coming days.

     

    This CCI had also imposed another hefty penalty of Rs 936.44 crores on Google for abusing its market position on Play Store to promote its payments app and in-app payment system. Elsewhere, the tech major has alleged in its NCLAT filings that CCI copied parts of its decision from the European Commission order on market dominance.

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