Google Settles Indian Competition Regulator Antitrust Case

The Indian decision comes amid a raft of antitrust accusations that have been leveled against the tech giant around the world.

A sign outside a Google office near the company's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., on May 8, 2019. Paresh Dave/Reuters

India’s competition regulator approved a settlement proposal from Google on April 21 after it charged the tech giant over anticompetitive practices relating to its Android TV platform.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) had accused the U.S. company of abusing its Android operating system’s dominant position in the country’s smart TV market.

The watchdog’s decision to settle with Google coincides with the start of U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s four-day visit to the world’s most populous nation, which is also one of Google’s key markets.

After a duo of Indian antitrust lawyers filed a case against Google in 2021, the CCI investigated and found that the California-based company had engaged in anticompetitive practices by creating barriers to companies wanting to use or develop modified versions of Android for smart TVs.

The CCI said Google’s mandatory preinstallation of the Google Play Store and other applications, under its television app distribution agreement, amounted to misusing its dominant position.

Google later filed a settlement application, called the New India Agreement, in which it proposed a standalone license for its Play Store and Play Services for Android smart TVs in the country instead of bundling the services.

Under the new agreement, the Play Store and Play Services, which were being provided for free, will now include a fee.

Google also proposed sending a letter to its partners in India selling Android TV, informing them that they enjoy the flexibility of using an open-sourced operating system without taking on any of the company’s apps and that the smart TVs can be developed using any other operating system.

The CCI said the New India Agreement’s scope extends beyond smart TVs, also applying to devices such as smartwatches and smartphones.

It also approved a final figure of 202.4 million rupees (about $2.37 million) that Google will pay as part of the settlement.

The Epoch Times has contacted Google for comment.

The Indian decision comes amid a raft of antitrust accusations that have been leveled against the tech giant around the world.

On April 17, a federal judge in the United States ruled that Google had violated antitrust law in its advertising technology practices.

Google breached the Sherman Antitrust Act “by willfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power” in certain ad markets while “unlawfully” tying two of its products together, District Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia said in a 115-page opinion.

“For over a decade, Google has tied its publisher ad server and ad exchange together through contractual policies and technological integration, which enabled the company to establish and protect its monopoly power in these two markets,” Brinkema wrote.

Last week also saw Japan’s competition watchdog issue a cease and desist order against Google, saying the Silicon Valley behemoth had violated the country’s Antimonopoly Act by making smartphone manufacturers and telecommunication carriers prioritize its own services.

Canada’s Competition Bureau is currently suing Google over allegedly anticompetitive conduct in its online advertising business and wants the company to sell two of its services as well as pay a penalty.

The bureau has alleged that Google’s abuse of its dominant position is discouraging competition, inhibiting innovation, inflating advertising costs, and reducing publisher revenues.

It says its investigation, which dates back to at least 2021, found that the company “unlawfully” tied together its ad tech tools to ensure market dominance.

Last year, the company lost its final appeal against a 2.4 billion euro (about $2.64 billion) European Union penalty for illegally prioritizing its shopping recommendations over rivals in search results.

Competition regulators in the UK have also accused Google of abusing its dominance in ad tech.