Google said in its NCLAT filings that CCI copied parts of its decision from the European Commission order on market dominance.
American multinational tech giant Google is set to approach the Supreme Court of India to challenge the Competition Commission of India’s antitrust verdict on its anti-competitive practices related to Android mobile devices. This comes just days 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.
The tech major believes some of CCI’s directives cannot be implemented, and Google “has no other option” than approaching the apex court for relief, a source told news agency Reuters. The company could mount up a legal challenge at the Supreme Court before the antitrust watchdog’s January 19 deadline for implementing the changes ordered by CCI, the report added.
CCI passed two separate rulings against Google alleging that the tech giant is abusing its dominant position in the Android phones market and via its Play Store policies.
In the first case, CCI fined Google Rs 1337.76 crore in October 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.
In the same week that month, CCI again fined Google Rs 936.44 crores for abusing its market position on Play Store to promote its payments app and in-app payment system. Elsewhere, the tech company said in its NCLAT filings that CCI copied parts of its decision from the European Commission order on market dominance.
