Google appears to have misused its dominant position in India by making it harder for phone makers to choose alternative versions of Android, according to a 14-page order issued by the Competition Commission of India in April and accessed by Reuters last week. The CCI's order found that Google’s restrictions on manufacturers seemed to amount to the imposition of “unfair conditions” under India’s competition law, the report said. The CCI began looking into the complaint against Google last year and decided to launch a full investigation in April, after finding that there was merit in accusations that Google abused its dominant position to hamper competition. The complaint is similar to the one Google faced in Europe and paid a $5 billion penalty for (see below). The CCI's investigations arm should complete the wider probe in the case within 150 days, the Reuters report said, citing the order. Cases at the CCI have historically dragged on for years. Last month, we reported that the CCI's investigation wing had sought details of agreements between smartphone manufacturers and Google, including i) license fees or royalty payments made to Google for using the Android OS and Google mobile services on a yearly basis from April 2011 to March 2019, and ii) whether Google had imposed any restrictions on using its mobile apps and services since April 2011. A Google spokesperson told MediaNama in a statement: “Android has enabled millions of Indians to connect to the internet by making mobile devices more affordable. We look forward to working with the…
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