Antitrust case: Google must pay Rs 1,337.76 Cr, rules tribunal
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New Delhi: The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) ruled on Wednesday that Google must pay the penalty of Rs 1,337.76 crore imposed by India's fair trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI). However, the tribunal dismissed four of ten antitrust directives against the tech giant in a case of abuse of the company's dominant position in Android. CCI imposed the antitrust remedies on Google to change its business model, and Supreme Court refused to suspend them when they were challenged before it
The tribunal also ruled that Google must deposit the payable in 30 days.
Imposing the fine on the tech giant in October last year, the CCI had ordered the company not to indulge in various unfair business practices. This includes Google adding restrictions on device makers, such as the pre-installation of apps.
Now, Google will not have to allow third-party app stores inside Play Store, unlike what was ordered by CCI.
On India's Android decision, Google had argued repeatedly that no other Jurisdiction has demanded "such far-reaching changes". It also argued that such changes would stall the growth of the Android ecosystem in India.
It was the Supreme Court which directed the tribunal to hear the case on merit and come to a decision by March end.