Indian Internet firms have express optimism about finding clear space for their apps on Android devices as Google fail to find relief in the Supreme Court on an NCLAT and CCI order against Google.
The Supreme Court has endorse the order of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) declining to grant an interim stay on the imposition of a penalty of Rs. 1,337 crore on the Google by the competition regulator for allegedly abusing its dominant position in the Android mobile device ecosystem.
The top court said at the interlocutory stage, it would suffice to say that the findings of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) against Google were neither without jurisdiction nor suffering from any manifest error warranting its interference.
A bench head by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud grant a week’s time to the US firm to deposit 10% of Rs. 1,337 crore penalty impose on Google by the CCI.
MapMyIndia, which has also file a plea in the apex court to include it in the case, said that it was discuss in the court how Google foreclose rivals such as MapmyIndia due to their anti-competitive practices, harming Indian consumers’ ability to choose, and harming the Indian economy and rivals such as MapmyIndia.
MapMyIndia CEO and Executive Director, Rohan Verma said in a statement :
“As the Supreme Court in the end declined Google’s disingenuous arguments. Today marks one very critical step towards India breaking free from the digital slavery Google has perpetuated on Indians for the last 15 years, and it is the right moment for all Indians – consumers, media, app developers, OEMs, industry and government – to come together to create our own indigenous Aatmanirbhar ecosystem,”.
The CCI had on 20th October 2022 ask Google to allow smartphone users on the Android platform to uninstall apps and let them select a search engine of their choice.
That order was to become effective from 19th January 2023.
On 20th October 2022, the CCI besides slapping a steep penalty on Google also order the Internet major to cease and desist from various unfair business practices.
The regulator, which pass the order after having direct a detaile probe more than three years ago, has also ask Google to modify its conduct within a defined timeline.
The CCI, which had start probing the case in April 2019, has direct that Original Equipment Manufacturers should not be restrain from choosing from amongst Google’s proprietary applications to be pre-install and also not be force to pre-install a bouquet of applications on their smart devices.
