The Competition Commission of India (CCI) may fine the tech giant Google for the third time, as per a latest media report. According to the Economic Times, Google, who has already been fined two times by CCI may soon get another fine but this time for allegedly abusing its market dominance in the smart TV space.
As per the report, the director general office of CCI has completed its investigation into the matter. With the final submission of report also done, a final verdict on the Google case may come out soon.
The issue of Google allegedly abusing its market dominance in the smart TV space reportedly goes back to June 2021. Back then, CCI had ordered an investigation into Google’s smart TV operating system Android TV as it reportedly found prima facie evidence. The complaint was also reportedly filed by lawyers of two trusts and based on this complaint, CCI initiated its probe.
The ET report adds that television manufacturers have to enter into a licensing agreement with Google in order to use the platform. In the complaints, it has been alleged that the “terms of such licensing agreements are prohibitive for equipment manufacturers.”
However, it has been alleged that Google Play Store usually comes pre-installed in TVs, those that have been manufactured by companies after entering into licensing agreements with Google. But, the Play Store services are reportedly not available for televisions manufactured by companies that have not signed any agreements with the tech giant.
At this point, the investigation has also looked into the Android Compatibility Commitments (ACC), as per the ET report. According to these agreements, manufacturers are usually prohibited from producing, distributing, or selling any other smart television which is not Android based, as per the report.
