CCI Denies Google Allegations That It 'Copy-Pasted' EU’s Antitrust Order on Android

Google had argued that CCI "copy-pasted extensively from a European Commission decision.

CCI Denies Google Allegations That It 'Copy-Pasted' EU’s Antitrust Order on Android

Photo Credit: Reuters

Google's counsel repeatedly pressed judges to put CCI ruling on hold

Highlights
  • The comments came at a hearing in the Supreme Court
  • CCI has fined Alphabet Inc-owned Google $161 million
  • Google is seeking to block the CCI ruling
Advertisement

The Competitions Commission of India on Thursday denied allegations by Google that investigators had "copy-pasted" parts of a European ruling against the US firm for abusing the market dominance of its Android platform.

"We have not cut, copy and paste," N Venkataraman, a government lawyer representing the Competition Commission of India (CCI), told the top court.

The comments came at a hearing in India's Supreme Court, where Google is seeking to block the CCI ruling.

Google had argued in its legal filings, seen by Reuters, that CCI's investigation unit "copy-pasted extensively from a European Commission decision, deploying evidence from Europe that was not examined in India".

"There are more than 50 instances of copypasting", in some cases "word-for-word", Google said. The European Commission has not responded to a request for comment on the allegation.

The CCI has fined Alphabet Inc-owned Google $161 million (roughly Rs. 1300 crore) for exploiting its dominant position in Android, which powers 97 percent of smartphones in India, and asked it to change restrictions imposed on smartphone makers related to pre-installing apps.

Google had challenged the directive saying it would hurt consumers and also its business, warning the growth of the Android ecosystem will stall if the far-reaching measures were to be implemented.

During Thursday's hearing, Google's counsel repeatedly pressed judges to put CCI ruling on hold, saying it is pro-competition and does not abuse its market position. The judges are yet to reach a decision.

© Thomson Reuters 2023


Is 2023 the year when you should finally buy a foldable phone? We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Auto Expo 2023 Saw Record Turnout of 6.36 Lakh Visitors, Five Global Launches, SIAM Says
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »