New Delhi. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered further investigation into a case alleging that tech giant Google is abusing its dominant position with Android in India’s television market. In a June 19 order, the CCI said it found Google “prima facie” in violation of India’s antitrust rules. The CCI directed its Director General (DG) to conduct further investigation in the matter. Google has also sought an opportunity for an oral hearing (by video conference) for Google to present its arguments on the issues raised in the notice.
The Commission is prima facie convinced on the basis of information available on record (including submissions made by Google) that a case has been made out by the DG to direct an inquiry. The case was filed by antitrust lawyers Kshitij Arya and Purushottam Anand around May last year and the CCI in October sought answers from Google and Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi, who were named in the case. The CCI then considered the responses of the companies involved and the complainants and decided that the matter required further investigation.
According to a competition law expert at a top law firm in India who requested anonymity, the DG is the fact-finding body of the CCI, which will now investigate the matter in detail and come up with a report on whether any violations took place. is. is. The CCI then seeks feedback from the parties involved, which is taken into account before arriving at a final decision. The lawyer said, “Until there is a final decision, nothing is final.
Google prohibits companies from working with their competitors
According to a report published in Mint, a person involved in the matter said that the complaint alleges that Google prevents any company from working with its competitors to obtain a license for its AndroidTV platform. “If a TV manufacturer intends to use Google’s operating system, you must enter into certain agreements. These agreements allow you to manufacture any other device, be it a TV, phone, etc., with any Android operating system. Stops from. Even on the forked version.
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Google has over 65% market share in the operating system ecosystem
The commission found that Google had a market share of over 65% in the smart TV operating system ecosystem, and combined with the “profound network effect” could become an entry carrier for competitors. The tech giant had also argued that the competition in the smart TV segment is driven by access to over-the-top (OTT) content, which is possible through various other devices such as set-top-boxes and streaming sticks. , which pits Google “against many well-resourced and established players”. Location in the competitive smart TV arena.
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