Google Assigned $160 Million Fine

Google was unsuccessful in appealing an antitrust judgment against it in India’s Supreme Court. The court accused the firm of abusing its dominant market position for its Android mobile operating system.

The country’s highest court denied Google’s request for temporary relief on Thursday. The firms’ appeals court was told to decide on the case by March 31. The court, however, gave Google an additional week to comply.

What Are Some of The Corrective Steps that The Company Must Take?

According to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in October, Google strengthened its position through anti-competitive actions. Requiring the installation of its apps on new smartphones is one example. The CCI instructed Google to make changes, such as enabling smartphone users to delete specific apps and permitting them to use their chosen search engine. The antitrust regulator imposed a second fine of about 9.36B rupees for suspected breaches by Google concerning its mobile app store.

Before the appellate court, the US technology giant filed appeals against both penalties but was unsuccessful. As a result, the corporation filed an appeal with the Supreme Court.

The CCI ordered Google to take corrective actions by January 19 when imposing the fine. As a result, Google said this month that the requirements given by the regulator would hamper efforts to increase Internet use. Since its inception, Google has functioned similarly thanks to the steps. This would allegedly limit user privacy and make Android, which accounts for over 90% of the nation’s mobile market, less accessible.

The Firm’s Power is Deemed Anti-Competitive Internationally

According to the CCI, Google has allegedly already implemented similar corrective measures in other regions, such as the European Union.

The firm is currently a part of two antitrust disputes in India. This adds to the company’s history of antitrust litigation across the globe. In a case concerning Android, a European court upheld a 4.1B-euro ($4.4B) antitrust penalty in September. Google has been defeated in a battle to abolish a French penalty of 150M euros involving online advertising. This resulted in a setback for the firm. Meanwhile, Russia’s antitrust regulator found Google’s YouTube violating anti-monopoly laws.