Google Alleges CCI Copied Parts of EU Ruling Against Firm on Android Abuse

Google has told a tribunal successful India that the country's antitrust investigators copied parts of a European ruling against the US firm for abusing the marketplace dominance of its Android operating system, arguing the determination beryllium quashed, ineligible papers show.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) successful October fined Alphabet's Google $161 cardinal (roughly Rs. 1,300 crore) for exploiting its ascendant presumption successful markets specified arsenic online hunt and the Android app store, and asked it to alteration restrictions imposed connected smartphone makers related to pre-installing apps.

Sources told Reuters successful October that Google was disquieted astir the Indian determination arsenic the remedies ordered were seen arsenic much sweeping than the European Commission's landmark 2018 ruling for imposing unlawful restrictions connected Android mobile instrumentality makers. Google has challenged a grounds 4.1-billion-euro (roughly Rs. 35,600 crore) good successful that case.

In its filing to an Indian appeals tribunal, Google argues the CCI's probe portion "copy-pasted extensively from a European Commission decision, deploying grounds from Europe that was not examined successful India".

"There are much than 50 instances of copypasting", successful immoderate cases "word-for-word", and the watchdog erroneously dismissed the issue, Google said successful its filing which is not nationalist but has been reviewed by Reuters.

"The Commission failed to behaviour an impartial, balanced, and legally dependable probe ... Google's mobile app organisation practices are pro-competitive and not unfair/ exclusionary."

Spokespeople for the CCI and European Commission did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

Google said successful a connection it decided to entreaty the CCI's determination arsenic it believes "it presents a large setback for our Indian users and businesses". It did not remark connected the copy-pasting allegations successful its filing.

Google has asked the tribunal to quash the CCI's order, and the lawsuit volition beryllium heard connected Wednesday.

The Indian contention ruling came arsenic Google faces accrued antitrust scrutiny the satellite over. Google licenses its Android strategy to smartphone makers, but critics accidental it imposes restrictions that are anti-competitive.

The US firm says Android has created much prime for everyone and specified agreements assistance support the operating strategy free. In Europe, 75 percent of 550 cardinal smartphones tally connected Android, compared with 97 percent of 600 cardinal devices successful India, Counterpoint Research estimates.

The CCI ruled successful October that Google's licensing of its Play Store "shall not beryllium linked with the request of pre-installing" Google hunt services, the Chrome browser, YouTube oregon immoderate different Google applications.

In its appeal, Google alleges the CCI lone recovered antitrust infringements related to the Google hunt app, Chrome browser and YouTube, but its bid "extends beyond" that.

Separately, Google has besides appealed against different Indian antitrust determination wherever it was fined $113 cardinal (roughly Rs. 930 crore) for restricting the usage of third-party billing oregon outgo processing services successful India. The entreaty is yet to beryllium heard.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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