Google failed in its attempt to overturn the Indian antitrust verdict regarding Android.
According to the firm, it will now work with Indian authorities.
In its initial ruling, the CCI fined Google a total of $162 million.
Google announced on Friday that it will appeal the antitrust watchdog’s decision in India, but that it would also cooperate with the authorities to find a solution. This statement follows the Supreme Court of India’s denial of Google’s application to stay an antitrust decision and its grant of Google one week to abide by the Competition Commission of India’s instructions. This choice may alter how Google does business in India, a significant international market.
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), where Google had previously been denied relief, will now take up the issue again. NCLAT has been ordered by the Supreme Court to reach a conclusion by March 31. Google would be obliged to make a number of adjustments to its business procedures in India if NCLAT does not rule in its favour by the end of this month.
Google has been ordered by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to stop requiring that licencing of its Play Store be connected to the required installation of a number of Google apps, including Chrome and YouTube. In addition, Google must provide customers the option to uninstall its apps from their phones and switch to a different search engine provider.
WHAT HAS GOOGLE SAID ABOUT THIS?
“We are evaluating the contents of yesterday’s ruling, which is restricted to interim relief and did not resolve the merits of our appeal,” a Google spokeswoman said. “Android has immensely aided Indian consumers, developers, and OEMs and played a crucial part in India’s digital revolution,” they continued. In addition to our appeal, we will continue to be devoted to our users and business partners and work with the CCI on the way forward.
WHAT WILL THE CONSEQUENCES BE?
With over a billion monthly active users and over $10 billion in investments over the previous ten years, India is Google’s largest market in terms of users. Android is used by the vast majority of smartphones in India. Google has already cautioned that if the Indian antitrust watchdog’s decision is upheld, it will increase device prices in the South Asian market and lead to an increase in potentially dangerous apps that endanger personal and governmental security.
