Google will continue to challenge the Indian antitrust watchdog’s ruling, but said on Friday it will cooperate with the authorities “going forward.” A series of changes that could upend the way business is done in key foreign markets.
India’s Supreme Court on Thursday rejected Google’s petition to block the antitrust order, giving Android makers an extra week to comply with the Indian Competition Commission’s instructions.
The matter will now return to the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), the national appellate court where Google has previously failed to secure relief. The Supreme Court has directed NCLAT he has until March 31 to make a decision.
As TechCrunch wrote on Thursday, the challenge for Google is that unless NCLAT reaches a decision in Google’s favor by this month, it will have to make a series of changes to its business practices in India.
The CCI has ordered Google not to require a Play Store license that links it to mandatory installation of some Google apps such as Chrome and YouTube. Watchdog also ordered Google to allow all apps to be removed from mobile phones and allow smartphone users to change search engine providers.
CCI also fined Google $162 million for the first order.
A Google spokesperson told TechCrunch that it was “reviewing the details of yesterday’s decision, which was limited to interim relief and did not decide on the merits of the appeal.”
“Android has played a key role in the digital transformation of India, with significant benefits for Indian users, developers and OEMs. We will work with you.”
India is Google’s largest market for users. His $10 billion+ invested company in India over the past decade has over 500 million monthly active his users in India. The majority of smartphones in India are powered by Android.
Google earlier this month said India’s antitrust watchdog ruling, if allowed to proceed, would make devices more expensive in South Asian markets and lead to the proliferation of unchecked apps that pose a threat to personal and national security. I warned you.
Many Indian start-ups that compete with Google’s services welcomed the Supreme Court’s ruling. MapmyIndia’s chief executive, Rohan Verma, said he was “overjoyed” by the decision, adding that Google’s requirement for smartphone vendors to pre-install Google Maps has prompted MapmyIndia’s I pointed out that the business prospects were damaged.
Rakesh Deshmukh, CEO of Android marketplace Indus OS, called the court order a “turning point.”
