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India's antitrust body in October fined Google $275 million in two cases, which involved abusing its dominant position in the Android operating system market, and pushing developers to use its in-app payment system. "The ministry has to take action," Chandrasekhar said. India's competition watchdog has begun another inquiry into Google after Tinder owner Match Group (MTCH.O) and many startups alleged that a new service fee system Google uses for in-app payments breaches the competition commission's October decision. Google has previously said the service fee supports investments in the Google Play app store and the Android mobile operating system, ensuring it can distribute it for free. About 97% of India's 620 million smartphones run on Android, and the company counts India as a critical growth market.

☆ India starts inquiry into Google app payments antitrust compliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Aditya Kalra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tinder-owner Match Group (MTCH.O) and Indian startups have asked the watchdog to investigate Google's (GOOGL.O) new User Choice Billing (UCB) system, which they alleged was anti-competitive. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Friday issued an order stating "it is of the opinion that an inquiry needs to be made." The order is not public and Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Google later began offering UCB to allow alternative payments alongside Google's when purchasing in-app digital content, but some companies complained the new system still imposes a high "service fee" of 11%-26%. Google has previously said the service fee supports investments in the Google Play app store and the Android mobile operating system, ensuring it distributes it for free, and covers developer tools and analytic services.

☆ Indian startups go to court to stop Google's new in-app billing system
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Aditya Kalra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, April 11 (Reuters) - A group of Indian startups has asked a court to suspend Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) Google's new in-app billing fee system until the country's antitrust body investigates the U.S. firm for alleged non-compliance with its directives, a legal filing showed. The 744-page filing, seen by Reuters, asks the court to "keep the implementation of Google’s UCB in abeyance" until CCI hears the complaint. The new service fee system, it says, supports investments in Google Play app store and the Android mobile operating system, ensuring it distributes it for free, and covers developer tools and analytic services. But Indian startups argue Google's UCB system still imposes a "service fee" of 11-26%, compared with the earlier in-app payment system that charged a fee of 15-30%. The new system is "cloaked as another version" of Google's earlier system, the ADIF filing stated.

☆ India startups call for antitrust probe of Google in-app billing fee
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Aditya Kalra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A woman walks past the logo of Google during an event in New Delhi, India, August 28, 2018. REUTERS/Adnan AbidiSummarySummary Companies Indian startups protest Google's in-app feeLatest challenge to Google in key marketIndian startups say Google bypasses antitrust orderGoogle has said app payment fee covers services, securityNEW DELHI, April 6 (Reuters) - Top startups in India have called on the country's competition watchdog to launch an inquiry into Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O) for allegedly bypassing an antitrust directive by charging a high service fee for in-app payments, a filing shows. The Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) filing marks the latest tussle between Google and Indian startups, which have repeatedly criticized the U.S. company for imposing unfair business restrictions that hurt smaller players. Details of the ADIF filing, which was reviewed by Reuters on Thursday, have not previously been reported. "The policy of UCB is unfair and the same would lead to unjust enrichment to Google," the filing said.

☆ India Asserts Itself on Global Tech Deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Tech firms such as Google look set to face heightened scrutiny if they try to expand their presence in India. India wants to have a seat at the table vetting overseas mergers and acquisitions as the country asserts itself on the global tech stage. If the country’s internet population is anything to go by, it is about time. Earlier this week, India authorized its antitrust regulator to parse global deals by approving amendments to the competition law, which includes a requirement for companies with substantial business operations in the South Asian nation to seek antitrust permissions for all deals exceeding 20 billion Indian rupees ($244 million) in transaction value. Until now, the Competition Commission of India examined deals based on companies’ asset size and turnover.

☆ India's top court overhauls election commissioner appointment in 'historic' judgment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Sakshi Dayal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Joseph, delivering the order of a constitution bench that heard several petitions calling for an independent committee to appoint election commissioners. "The election commission of India is to perform the arduous and unenviable task of remaining aloof from all forms of subjugation by and interference from the executive." "They have said the independence of the election commission is absolutely essential for democracy, and for that independence to be assured, you cannot have a system where the government alone appoints the election commissioners," he told reporters outside the court. India's former chief election commissioner, S.Y. Good for the perception of neutrality of the Election Commission."

[1/2] The Epic Games logo, maker of the popular video game "Fortnite", is pictured on a screen in this picture illustration August 14, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/Illustration/File PhotoNEW DELHI, Feb 14 (Reuters) - U.S. firm Epic Games is challenging Google in an Indian tribunal for not complying with some portions of an antitrust directive, alleging that the tech giant is not hosting the gaming company's app store on Google's Play Store app. Maker of the popular video game "Fortnite", Epic operates its own app store, Epic Games Store, that offers games and other apps for download. The company claims in the filing it is "exploring launching" the Games Store app on Google Play Store and has been "adversely affected" by Google not complying with the CCI order. Epic is known for campaigns against Apple (AAPL.O) and Google for charging high app store commissions.

☆ Google makes changes to Android in India after antitrust setbacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Aditya Kalra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Hoping to block the implementation of the CCI directives, Google had approached the Supreme Court, warning that growth of its Android ecosystem will stall. The court had also said a lower tribunal - where Google first challenged the Android directives - can continue to hear the company's appeal and must rule by March 31. The U.S. search giant also said it is updating the Android compatibility requirements to introduce changes for partners to build non-compatible variants of Android. In Europe, Google was fined for putting in place what the Commission called unlawful restrictions on Android mobile device makers. Regarding in-app billing, Google said it will start offering users choice billing to all apps and games starting next month which will help developers offer an option to choose alternative systems alongside Google's when purchasing in-app digital content.

☆ India tests domestic operating system days after Google's antitrust setback
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Commuters watch videos on their mobile phones as they travel in a suburban train in Mumbai, India, April 2, 2016. REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade/File Photo/File PhotoNEW DELHI, Jan 24 (Reuters) - India's government on Tuesday tested locally developed mobile operating system BharOS, a move seen as challenging the dominance of Google's Android just days after the U.S. giant suffered a major antitrust setback in the country. The government endorsement of the operating system comes after Google lost its fight in India's Supreme Court to block an antitrust order that will force the company to change how it markets its Android operating system. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pushing for self-reliance to boost and promote everything from local manufacturing to domestic startups. The operating system has been developed by a startup incubated at an Indian Institute of Technology in southern India.

☆ Factbox: The sun never sets on Google's antitrust woes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 24 (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google (GOOGL.O), whose clout in search, the Android smartphone operating system and online advertising upended those markets, faces antitrust fights in the United States, Europe and India. The order, for example, requires Google to allow users to delete apps like its YouTube subsidiary from Android phones. The U.S. Justice Department first sued Google in 2020 for violating antitrust law to maintain dominance in search and to extend its dominance into other areas. SOUTH KOREA: The antitrust regulator fined Alphabet's Google 207 billion won ($176.64 million) in September 2021, saying it abused its dominant market position to restrict competition in the mobile operating system market. These include allegations Google imposed unlawful restrictions on manufacturers of Android mobile devices and mobile network operators to consolidate the dominant position of its search engine.

☆ Google vows to cooperate with India's antitrust authority after Android ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Indian visitors talk on their mobile phones outside the Google stall at the India Mobile Congress in New Delhi on Sept. 27, 2017. Google said on Friday it will cooperate with India's competition authority after the country's top court upheld an antitrust order forcing the U.S. firm to change how it markets its popular Android platform. On Thursday, Google lost a challenge in the Supreme Court to block the directives, getting seven days to comply. "We remain committed to our users and partners and will cooperate with the CCI on the way forward," a Google spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters, without explaining the steps it could take. India's highest court has said a lower tribunal — where Google first challenged the Android directives — can continue to hear the company's appeal and must rule by March 31.

☆ Google vows to cooperate with India antitrust authority after Android ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Aditya Kalra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

India's highest court has said a lower tribunal - where Google first challenged the Android directives - can continue to hear the company's appeal and must rule by March 31. Hoping to block the implementation of the CCI directives, Google had challenged the CCI order in the Supreme Court by warning it could stall the growth of the Android ecosystem. There it was fined for putting in place what the Commission called unlawful restrictions on Android mobile device makers. In Europe, Google made changes later including letting Android device users pick their default search engine and said device makers will be able to license the Google mobile application suite separately from the Google Search App or the Chrome browser. Some analysts say Google will now need to make similar changes in India to comply with directives.

☆ India antitrust body denies Google's allegation it copied EU's Android order
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A security guard stands outside the Competition Commission of India (CCI) headquarters in New Delhi, India, January 13, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan AbidiJan 19 (Reuters) - India's competition regulator on Thursday denied allegations by Google that investigators copied parts of a European order while ruling against the U.S. firm for abusing the market dominance of its Android platform. "We have not cut, copy and paste," N Venkataraman, a government lawyer representing the Competition Commission of India (CCI), told the top court. The comments came at a hearing in India's Supreme Court, where Google is seeking to block the CCI ruling. Reporting by Aditya Kalra, Arpan Chaturvedi and Munsif Vengattil; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Google challenged the directive in the Supreme Court saying it would hurt consumers and also its business, warning the growth of the Android ecosystem could stall. A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, which included the chief justice of India, extended the implementation date of CCI's directives by a week beyond Jan. 19, but declined to block the ruling despite Google's repeated requests. Google licenses its Android system to smartphone makers, but critics say it imposes restrictions such as mandatory pre-installation of its own apps that are anti-competitive. Google also says in its India filings that "no other jurisdiction has ever asked for such far-reaching changes". "We have not cut, copy and paste," N Venkataraman, a government lawyer representing the Competition Commission of India (CCI), told the top court.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered Google in October to make a series of changes, such as refraining from agreements that ensure exclusivity of its search services and mandatory pre-installation of its apps. It also told Google to allow third-party app stores to be housed within its Play Store. "There was negative impact over the years, we hope now consumers and device makers use our app more." About 97% of 600 million smartphone devices in India run on Android, according to Counterpoint Research estimates. Naval Chopra, a lawyer at India's Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas, which has challenged Google in courts in the past, said Thursday's court decision was a landmark one.

☆ Google says India antitrust ruling to drive up costs for app developers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 13 (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google said on Friday that India's new antitrust order to change how the company markets its Android platform will drive up costs for app developers, equipment makers, and consequently, consumers. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) in October fined Google $161 million for exploiting its dominant position in Android, and asked it to change restrictions imposed on smartphone makers related to pre-installing apps. Google licenses its Android system to smartphone makers, but critics say that its imposition of restrictions, such as the mandatory pre-installation of its own apps, is anti-competitive. Reuters reported earlier this month that Google warned in a Supreme Court challenge to the order that Android ecosystem's growth in India was on the brink of stalling due to the order. Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

NEW DELHI, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Google has been jolted after the Indian antitrust authority sought changes to how it markets its Android system, which powers 97% of smartphones in the world's second biggest mobile market. * Google should not impose any curbs in India on the practice of "sideloading", or downloading apps without using its app store. * Competitors and app developers should not be denied access to the programming interface of Google Play services, the underlying software system that powers Android devices. This directive is meant to ensure compatibility between apps on Play Store and third-party app stores based on Android variants, the antitrust authority has said. * The CCI asked Google not to restrict makers of Android smartphones from developing other devices, such as tablets or TVs based on modified versions of Android.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) in October fined Alphabet Inc-owned Google (GOOGL.O) $161 million for exploiting its dominant position in Android, which powers 97% of smartphones in India, and asked it to change restrictions imposed on smartphone makers related to pre-installing apps. "Google will be required to make far-reaching changes to the Android mobile platform which has been in place for the last 14-15 years." Google licenses its Android system to smartphone makers, but critics say it imposes restrictions like mandatory pre-installation of its own apps that are anti-competitive. The CCI in October ordered Google to not prohibit un-installing of its apps by Android phone users in India -- currently, one can't delete apps such as Google Maps or YouTube from their Android phones when they come pre-installed. "No other jurisdiction has ever asked for such far-reaching changes based on similar conduct," Google said in its court submissions.

NEW DELHI, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Google has filed a legal challenge in India's Supreme Court to block a ruling by the country's antitrust watchdog that will force the U.S. company to change how it markets its Android platform, court records showed on Saturday. The challenge comes after Google suffered a setback on Wednesday when an appeals tribunal rejected its request to block the antitrust ruling. The company argued that implementation of the CCI's directives will hurt its long-standing business model and consumer interests. Supreme Court records show Google filed a challenge against the tribunal ruling on Saturday. Google's Supreme Court filing seeks to put the CCI decison on hold while its appeal is heard, said one person familiar with the matter on Saturday.

In India, Google is now gearing up to file a legal challenge at the Supreme Court within days as the antitrust watchdog's Jan. 19 deadline to implement changes to its model looms, the first source with direct knowledge said. The Supreme Court approach will come after Google suffered a setback on Wednesday when a tribunal turned down its request to block the antitrust ruling. Google believes some of CCI's directives cannot be implemented, and the company "has no other option" than approaching the Supreme Court for relief, the source added. Google licenses its Android system to smartphone makers, but critics say it imposes restrictions like mandatory pre-installation of its own apps that are anti-competitive. Separately, Google has alleged in its filings the CCI's investigation unit copied parts of a European 2018 ruling against the U.S. firm, Reuters has reported.

☆ Indian tribunal declines interim stay for Google on Android-related antitrust ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

NEW DELHI, Jan 4 (Reuters) - An Indian tribunal on Wednesday declined Google's request for an interim stay on an antitrust ruling that ordered the tech giant to change its approach to its Android platform. The Competition Commission of India in October fined Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google $161 million for exploiting its dominant position in markets such as online search and through the Android app store, and asked it to change restrictions imposed on smartphone makers related to pre-installing apps. Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in New Delhi; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India tribunal declines Google's request to block Android antitrust ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Arpan Chaturvedi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW DELHI, Jan 4 (Reuters) - An Indian tribunal on Wednesday declined a request by Google to block an antitrust ruling that ordered the tech giant to change its approach to its Android platform, dealing the U.S. firm a setback in a key growth market. During the hearing, Google's counsel, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, repeatedly pushed for putting the decision on hold, or extending the date of implementation of CCI's directives beyond Jan. 19. He said the CCI's decision will force the company to change its business model and harm consumer interest. The CCI investigators "copy-pasted extensively from a European Commission decision, deploying evidence from Europe that was not examined in India", Google alleged. Reporting by Arpan Chaturvedi and Munsif Vengattil in New Delhi; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Google alleges India antitrust body copied parts of EU order on Android abuse
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Indian visitors talk on their mobile phones outside the Google stall at the India Mobile Congress in New Delhi on Sept. 27, 2017. In its filing to an Indian appeals tribunal, Google argues the CCI's investigation unit "copy-pasted extensively from a European Commission decision, deploying evidence from Europe that was not examined in India". Spokespeople for the CCI and European Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In Europe, 75% of 550 million smartphones run on Android, compared with 97% of 600 million devices in India, Counterpoint Research estimates. In its appeal, Google alleges the CCI only found antitrust infringements related to the Google search app, Chrome browser and YouTube, but its order "extends beyond" that.

☆ Google to appeal India antitrust ruling on Android
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BENGALURU, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O) said on Friday it will appeal the Indian antitrust watchdog's ruling that ordered the tech giant to change its approach to its Android platform and imposed a fine of $162 million for anti-competitive practices. Reuters had earlier reported that the CCI ruling worried Google as it sought wider-ranging remedial measures. "Android has greatly benefitted Indian users, developers, and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), and powered India's digital transformation. Google plans to appeal that decision as well, where it faces a record $4.1 billion fine. The U.S. tech giant, Android has created more choice for everyone and such agreements help keep the operating system free.

☆ India panel recommends digital competition act to rein in Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MUMBAI, Dec 22 (Reuters) - An Indian parliamentary panel on Thursday recommended the government enact a digital competition act to regulate anti-competitive business practices by Big Tech companies on its platforms. Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google and Apple (AAPL.O) have in the past faced scrutiny from the country's competition watchdog, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), over alleged abuse of the application market. Companies including Facebook (META.O), Twitter and Google (GOOGL.O) have for years been concerned with many regulations India has proposed for the technology sector, with companies complaining about excessive compliance burdens. Amazon, Google, Meta, Twitter and Apple did not immediately respond to request for comment. A specialised digital markets unit should be established within the competition watchdog, the panel said, adding that competitive behaviour of big tech companies needs to be monitored in advance and not after markets become monopolised.

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