Our Bureau
New Delhi
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has agreed to the Rs 20.24-crore settlement proposal of Google in the Android Smart TV case along with ordering the technology company to provide a standalone licence for the Play Store and Play Services for Android smart TVs in India. This will help in removing the need to bundle services or impose default placement conditions on its users.
The CCI has also eliminated the need for a valid Android Compatibility Commitments (ACC) for devices shipped into India that do not include Google apps. This will lead to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) selling and developing incompatible Android devices without violating Google’s agreement.
The terms and conditions have been executed following a complaint against Google for misusing its dominant position by enforcing restrictive agreements on OEMs, including compulsory bundling of the Play Store with Android TV OS and preventing the use or creation of rival forked Android versions through its anti-fragmentation agreements. These practices allegedly led to blocked market access, placing unrelated obligations on OEMs and hampering innovation and violating provisions of Section 4 of the Act. The Commission formed a prima facie view that Google has worked against various anti-trust provisions and ordered an investigation into the matter.
The same allegations have also been levelled against Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited and TCL India Holding Private Limited along with Google LLC, Google India Private Limited.
As per the investigative reports, Android Smart TV OS enjoys a dominant position in the relevant market of ‘licensable Smart TV device operating system in India’ with Google Play Store holding the same status in the ‘Market for App Store for Android Smart TV OS in India’.
