CCI begins probe against Google
Competition Commission investigating into alleged anti-competitive practices with respect to its Play Store pricing policy
image for illustrative purpose
New Delhi: The Competition Commission on Friday ordered a probe against Google for alleged anti-competitive practices with respect to its Play Store pricing policy.
While passing the order, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said the informants are primarily aggrieved with Google’s updated payment policies in relation to its proprietary app store -- Google Play Store -- which is alleged to be in violation of the competition law. It is also alleged that the payment policies are stated to be impacting several stakeholders, including app developers, payment processors, and users alike. The watchdog has ordered the probe after prima-facie finding that Google has violated Section 4 of the Competition Act that pertains to abuse of dominant position.
In its 21-page order, the regulator noted that Google claims that a service fee is charged for a multitude of services provided by Play Store to app developers.
