New Delhi: Google and Apple are under the scanner of the Competition Commission of India (CCI)—the anti-trust regulator—for allegedly resorting to unfair business practices.
CCI chairperson Ravneet Kaur, while talking to mediapersons here on Tuesday, said that an investigation is underway against Google, the search engine giant, for alleged abuse of its dominance in the news content segment. She said that many news publishers had complained against the Google, which prompted the inquiry.
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The Google has also been accused of abusing the competition in the smart television segment and a case related to it is also being enquired into by the regulator.
The CCI chairperson also said that the commission has also ordered a probe against iPhone-maker Apple, which is accused of resorting to alleged anti-competitive practices through its App Store.
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The director general of the investigation wing of the CCI is currently carrying out the inquiry. “Once we receive the report from the DG, (and) CCI, we will take action,” Kaur said.
Notably, Google had earlier faced orders issued against it by the watchdog in the cases related to Playstore and android System.
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“The CCI had passed a cease and desist order against the Google in the android systems case for abusing its dominant position in that segment. Besides, ten behavioural remedies were also directed by the regulator and thirdly, a penalty of ₹1,337 crore was imposed,” she said.
The Google had deposited the penalty along with interest. On the behavioural remedies, the company had taken up the matter with the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). The NCLAT had upheld the cease and desist order and six of the CCI’s directions. Now, the matter is pending before the Supreme Court, where both the CCI and Google have filed petitions.
