India Opens Antitrust Investigation Into Google Pay and Play Store Billings - lononmarted1980

The Competition Commission of Bharat (CCI) has formally unsealed an probe into Google for allegedly abusing its dominant market position in the country to suffocate competition and unfairly promote its UPI payments app, Google Pay. In an constituted statement released Monday, the just regulator said that its investigation would cente whether Android devices pull out users to install Google Pay during the phone setup process and whether Android vendors are forced to pre-install the app on new smartphones.

Reported to the CCI, the dig into was based happening a ill that "Google, done its see to it over the Drama Store and Mechanical man OS (OS), is favoring Google Pay over other competing apps, to the disadvantage of both i.e. apps facilitating payment finished UPI, as well as users. As per the Informant, this amounts to blackguard of its predominant position by Google in violation of various provisions (of the Competition Act, 2002)".

Additionally, the CCI is also inquisitory allegations that Google is forcing app developers to use its Play Hive away billing service of process that charges a 30% commission happening every dealing on its platform. The regulator said that it is of the clear view that Google's actions "amounts to imposition of partial and discriminatory condition, denial of market get at for competing apps of Google Ante up and leveraging along the part of Google, in damage of different viands of Section 4(2) of the Human activity".

Following the CCI's handout, a Google spokesperson claimed that GPay operates in a competitive market and is pop because of its unnumberable features rather than ill-treat of Monopoly. As for the companion's Free rein Storage charge practices, the spokesperson said: "Play's billing system is a fundamental part of meeting this user expected value and helps ensure our continued investiture in the many important things needed to make developers successful".