Google Reviewing CCI Fine Of INR 936 Cr To Prepare For Next Steps

After the Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposed another penalty of INR 936 Cr on Google in an antitrust probe, the tech giant said it is reviewing the decision to evaluate its next steps. 

On Wednesday, CCI imposed a penalty of INR 936.44 Cr on Google for abusing its dominant position with respect to its Play Store policies, apart from issuing a cease-and-desist order. The commission also directed Google to modify its conduct within a defined timeline.

In response to the second penalty imposed on the company within a week, Google said Indian developers have benefited from its technology, security, consumer protections, and unrivaled choice and flexibility that Android and Google Play provide. 

“And, by keeping costs low, our model has powered India’s digital transformation and expanded access for hundreds of millions of Indians. We remain committed to our users and developers and are reviewing the decision to evaluate the next steps,” the company said.

Google’s Alleged Discriminatory Practices

In its recent ruling, CCI found Google guilty of flouting multiple provisions of the Competition Act such as making Google’s in-house payment and billing system mandatory for paid apps and in-app purchases. The commission is of the view that Google imposed unfair conditions on app developers.

Moreover, the tech company did not mandate the use of its payment service for its own applications including YouTube, which turned out to be a discriminatory practice. CCI also said that Google limited technical development in the market for in-app payment processing services.

It is pertinent to note that the CCI had slapped a penalty of INR 1,337.76 Cr on the tech giant for abusing its dominant position in the Android devices market.

Indian developers have been taking against the high commissions charged by Play Store for a few years now. They have also expressed dissatisfaction over the monopoly exercised by Google in the space. 

The tech giant has remained under CCI scrutiny for various issues in recent times. Earlier this month, CCI ordered another probe into the tech giant over alleged abuse of dominance in the news aggregator space.