Google, a major technology company, has recently declared that an antitrust decision could hinder the development of the Android operating system in India, according to the Indian antitrust body. The decision, made by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in September, concluded that Google could abuse its market dominance by placing restrictive contracts on manufacturers. In response, the CCI has directed Google to change its arrangements with manufacturers, allowing the manufacturers more flexibility to use rival applications and services on Android devices.
According to a Reuters article, Google has filed an appeal before the Indian Supreme Court, stating that the decision will require modifications to existing contracts and the development of new licensing agreements. It could impact the arrangements with more than 1,100 device manufacturers and thousands of app developers.
Google has claimed that the decision could hinder the development of the Android platform in India by stating in its statement that “tremendous progress in the growth of an ecosystem that includes device makers and app developers as well as the users are on the brink of being stopped due to the corrective directions. “
The Indian antitrust regulator has issued a fine of $161.9 Million on Google for anti-competitive practices involving Android devices across several markets, including licensable OS that runs on smartphones apps stores as well as web search services and non-OS-specific mobile browsers. The authority determined that Google held a dominating position within these areas.
Google has declared that the decision is a “major setback for Indian consumers and businesses.” Google has also filed an appeal of the decision in the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). The tribunal recently denied Google’s request for an emergency stay on the antitrust ruling and directed the company to pay 10 percent of the $161.9 million penalty they appealed.
