Google under pressure for market dominance in India

Google under pressure for market dominance in India

Delhi, 06.01.2023

Google recently turned to India’s Supreme Court to block a decision by India’s Antitrust Authority that would force the US company to change the way it markets its Android platform.

Google was concerned about the Indian decision because the remedies it ordered are seen as more far-reaching than the European Commission’s landmark 2018 ruling that imposed unlawful restrictions on Android mobile device makers. Google has appealed the record $4.3 billion fine in that case.

But the Supreme Court did not follow Google’s arguments. It rejected the request to block the antitrust decision. Google had unsuccessfully argued that implementing the CCI guidelines would harm its longstanding business model and consumer interests. It believes that some of the CCI’s policies cannot be implemented and that the company has „no alternative“ but to go to the Supreme Court to seek redress.

Google licenses its Android system to smartphone makers, but critics say it imposes restrictions like mandatory pre-installation of its own apps, which are anti-competitive. The company argues that such agreements help keep the operating system free.

The CCI ruled in October that the licensing of Google’s Play Store cannot be combined with the requirement of pre-installing Google search services, the Chrome browser, YouTube or other Google applications.

Separately, Google has claimed in its filings that the CCI’s investigative division copied portions of a 2018 European judgment against the US company. The CCI and the European Commission have not responded to these allegations.