Google India Said to Appeal CCI's Search Bias Order

Online search giant Google has filed an appeal at the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal against an order from India's competition watchdog that found it guilty of "search bias" and abuse of its dominant position, two sources aware of the matter told Reuters.

In February, the Competition Commission of India imposed a Rs. 136 crores (roughly $20.95 million) fine on Google, saying it was abusing its dominance in online web search and online search advertising markets, in the latest regulatory setback for the world's most popular Internet search engine.

Google, the core unit of US firm Alphabet, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"Google was found to be indulging in practices of search bias and by doing so, it causes harm to its competitors as well as to users," the regulator said in a 190-page order in February.

"Google was leveraging its dominance in the market for online general Web search, to strengthen its position in the market for online syndicate search services," the CCI said.

However, the CCI said it did not find any contravention in respect of Google's specialised search design, AdWords and online distribution agreements.

A Google spokesperson at the time had said the company was reviewing the "narrow concerns" identified by the Commission and will assess its next steps.

"We have always focused on innovating to support the evolving needs of our users. The Competition Commission of India has confirmed that, on the majority of issues it examined, our conduct complies with Indian competition laws. We are reviewing the narrow concerns identified by the Commission and will assess our next steps," the spokesperson said.

© Thomson Reuters 2018