NEW DELHI: Google has opted for a settlement with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and payment of a penalty of Rs 20.2 crore in the Android TV issue, where the fairplay regulator found a prima facie case of abuse of dominant position by the global tech giant.
This follows the two penalties that CCI previously slapped on Google, regarding its Play Store policies and its dominance in the Android operating system.
In the TV case, Google filed a settlement application under Section 48A of the Competition Act, giving consent for a ‘New India Agreement’, under which it will provide a standalone licence for the Play Store and Play Services for Android smart TVs in India. This will remove the requirement to bundle these services or impose default placement conditions, CCI said. Additionally, by waiving the need for a valid Android Compatibility Commitment(ACC) for devices shipped into India that do not include Google apps, TV companies can now sell and develop incompatible Android devices, without violating Google’s Television App Distribution Agreement (TADA), it added. “… considering the material on record and the assessment of the settlement proposal after taking into consideration the nature, gravity, and impact of the contraventions, the commission agrees to the proposal for settlement in terms of Section 48A (3) of the Act and the settlement regulations.The final settlement amount, after applying a settlement discount of 15%, is Rs 20.2 crore,” CCI said. The case originated from the information filed by two individuals,Kshitiz Arya and Purushottam Anand, under Section 19(1)(a) of the Act, 2002 against Google LLC, Google India Pvt Ltd, Xiaomi Technology India, and TCL India Holding for alleged contravention of various provisions of the Act.
The gist of the allegation was that Google misused its dominant position by enforcing restrictive agreements on TV makers.