Google Seeks Settlement In Smart TV Antitrust Case

Google has reportedly offered to settle an antitrust case after the Competition Commission of India (CCI) found that its agreements with smart TV manufacturers violated India’s competition law.

A recent report submitted by the antitrust regulator’s investigative arm found that Google violated the laws and abused its market dominance in the smart TV market, Mint reported. 

Following this, Google filed the settlement plea, which is currently being reviewed by the CCI, the report said.

With this, Google has become the first company to invoke the newly introduced settlement scheme. The scheme offers a discount of 15% on the base penalty determined by the CCI for companies found engaged in anti-competitive conduct.

A mail sent to Google seeking response on the latest development didn’t elicit any response till the time of publishing this story. 

It is pertinent to note that the CCI began investigating Google in 2021 after receiving complaints from two individuals about the tech giant abusing its dominance in the Android smart TV market.

The complainants said that Google imposed unfair conditions on smart TV manufacturers, requiring them to preinstall an entire suite of Google apps if they wanted to include any specific app like YouTube.

The CCI found Google prima facie guilty of violating competition laws.

It is pertinent to note that in 2022, the CCI fined Google a total amount of INR 2,274 Cr in two separate antitrust cases.

Besides Google, multiple other big tech companies are also under the CCI’s scrutiny.

Recently, Amazon and Flipkart were found guilty of violating the competition laws by giving preference to select sellers on their shopping websites.

American tech giant Apple was also reportedly found guilty of abusing its dominant position in the app store market. The CCI report accused Apple of imposing unfair trade practices on developers.

However, the report was later recalled after Apple expressed concern that the CCI disclosed confidential company data to its competitors.

These tech giants or their associated vendors have been approaching the judiciary seeking respite against the CCI’s rulings.

For instance, three Flipkart sellers approached the Karnataka High Court last month seeking a halt to the ongoing investigation by the CCI that implicated them. In the same month, former Amazon seller Appario also moved the Karnataka HC seeking to quash the CCI probe against Amazon.

Amidst the surge in alleged malpractices, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs introduced the draft digital competition bill to crack down on their alleged anti-competitive practices.

The bill aims to regulate major entities based on their turnover, gross merchandise value, global market capitalisation, user numbers, and other factors. 

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