Google antitrust case: SC to hear appeals starting April 30
The Supreme Court is set to hear Google's appeal against the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) order starting April 30. The NCLAT upheld a Rs. 1,338 crore penalty imposed on the tech giant by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for anti-trust violations. The case pertains to pre-installed mobile applications on Android operating system. Originally scheduled for this month, the hearing was postponed due to the involvement of constitution benches.
Both CCI and Google challenge NCLAT order
In March 2023, the NCLAT partially supported the CCI's decision regarding Google's abuse of Android dominance and confirmed the Rs. 1,338 crore fine. The tribunal found that Google's requirement for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to pre-install all 11 Google Suite applications constituted unfair conditions. However, the NCLAT dismissed four key directives issued by the CCI to Google.
Which CCI directives did NCLAT set aside?
NCLAT has set aside four key directions issued to Google by the CCI: Google was fair in sending warnings (sideloading) to users when they downloaded applications directly from the website or from an unknown source. Google need not share its proprietary application program interface (API) with third parties. Google was right in not permitting third-party application stores on its Play Stores to avoid malware. Google can restrict the uninstallation of Google Suite apps on Android phones.
