Tuna Cetin
On Wednesday, an Indian tribunal refused Google’s request to block the Competition Commission of India’s recent antitrust ruling that ordered the tech titan to make changes to how it operates its Android platform.
In late October, the CCI announced that it imposed a fine of ₹1337.76 crore ($161 million) on Google for ‘’abusing dominant position in multiple markets in the Android Mobile device ecosystem’’, including the Play Store and online search. It also asked the company to relax its restrictions on manufacturers regarding pre-installed apps.
As reported by Reuters, Google’s Counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi requested the tribunal to stay the ruling or postpone its implementation beyond January 19, adding that it will require the tech giant to make significant changes to its business and negatively affect consumer interest.
“We are of opinion that at the moment given the voluminous nature of the appeal, there is no need to pass any interim order,” the tribunal said.
Meanwhile, Google alleged in a filing to the tribunal that the Indian antitrust body copied parts of an European Union ruling which imposed a fine of 4.34 billion euros ($5.1 billion) on the company for abusing its market power and harming competition. While Google lost its appeal against the ruling in September, the fine was reduced to 4.125 billion euros ($4.12 billion).
According to legal documents reviewed by Reuters, the CCI “copy-pasted extensively from a European Commission decision, deploying evidence from Europe that was not examined in India“.
Meanwhile, the CCI also fined Google ₹936.44 crore ($113 million) in October and ordered it to allow developers to offer alternative payment systems in their apps. Following the ruling, the company announced that it would no longer enforce Play Store billing in the country.
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