Days after the Competition Commission of India (CCI) slapped Google with several fines, the tech giant has now approached the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). While CCI fined Google two times in less than 10 days, the tech giant has challenged one of those, the fine that had to do with Google’s ‘unfair business practices in Android devices.
As per a PTI report, a Google spokesperson said, “We have decided to appeal the CCI's decision on Android as we believe it presents a major setback for our Indian users and businesses who trust Android's security features, and potentially raising the cost of mobile devices. We look forward to making our case in NCLAT and remain committed to users and partners.”
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CCI’s penalty on Google for “abusing its dominant position in multiple markets in relation to Android mobile devices” amounted to Rs 1,337.76 crore. The authority even directed the tech giant to desist from such unfair business practices in the future.
The report also adds that Google has sought a stay as it believes that CCI has failed to appreciate strong evidence on record from OEMs, developers, and users demonstrating that the open Android business model supports competition for the benefit of all stakeholders, including in India specifically.
In addition to this, Google is also reportedly optimistic that the NCLAT will take full account of the evidence on record and the contribution of Android to the market. However, when CCI imposed these fines on Google, it left several experts divided as many also believed that this may lead to Android devices getting more expensive in India.
