Antitrust Case against Google for Abusing its Dominant Position in Smart TV Market

Antitrust Case against Google for Abusing its Dominant Position in Smart TV Market

By: Ashwathy Nair

 Google engages in anti-competitive practices by creating barriers for firms.
 The antitrust body had held Google guilty of misuse of its dominant position in the mobile android market.
 CCI held that requiring phone handset makers to pre-install the entire google mobile services pack.

In India, Google is facing an antitrust case for supposedly abusing its Android operating system’s position in the smart television market. Since June, the CCI (Competition Commission of India) has been looking into the allegations that Google is engaged in anti-competitive practices. It has formed an obstruction for the companies that wanted to improve or use the modified versions of Android for smart TVs like the Amazon Fire TV operating system. The case was at aa initial stage, as the chairperson and members of the CCI had not studied the accusations or had not even ordered any inquiry yet.

An official from the government said that “There is a complaint that is initially looked into by a section of the CCI. They will be presenting their initial findings and the complaint to members of the CCI who may then be ordering an investigation by the director-general of the CCI if they find merit in the complaint”. (Source: indianexpress.com)

Although, the case against Google ‘looked interesting’ but there was nothing that had been done until now, one of the government officials who is close to the development said. The executive who is working with Google had said that they were aware of a case of “this nature” which was against the company, a formal intimation or legal notice is yet to receive which will be either from the CCI or the complainants. “The documents should be checked clearly which would help to understand what are the allegations that are being made and only then can be a response to it be made against them”.

Last year in the month of June, the antitrust body held Google guilty for the misuse of its dominant position in the mobile android market. It said that the company had imposed ‘unfair conditions’ on the device manufacturers, as it would prevent them from using other operating systems. CCI in its 14-page order had held that requiring mobile phone handset makers to pre-install the entire Google mobile services pack that is a collection of Google’s apps, was unfair.