According to two individuals acquainted with Google’s strategy, the firm is getting ready to file a petition with the Supreme Court in the coming days to challenge a decision made by the nation’s antitrust agency that will require it to alter the way it promotes its Android platform.
In October, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) penalised the Alphabet Inc. division $161 million for abusing its dominating position in the Android market, which runs 97% of India’s smartphones and is a crucial growth area for the American behemoth.
Google has been concerned about the Indian decision, meanwhile, as the remedies mandated are viewed as being more extensive than the European Commission’s historic 2018 judgement for placing unlawful limitations on manufacturers of Android mobile devices. Google has contested the record-breaking fine of $4.3 billion.
The antitrust watchdog’s deadline of January 19 to apply changes to its methodology is drawing near, and Google is now preparing to file a legal challenge at the Supreme Court of India, according to the first source with direct knowledge.
The Supreme Court’s action will follow Google’s loss on Wednesday when a court denied its request to overturn the antitrust decision. The company said that following CCI’s instructions would harm both its long-standing business model and the interests of its customers.
According to the insider, Google feels that parts of CCI’s directions cannot be carried out and “has no other option” except to petition the Supreme Court for relief. The CCI ruled in October that the pre-installation of Google search services, the Chrome browser, YouTube, or any other Google applications “must not be associated with the licensing of Google’s Play Store.”
Separately, according to media reports, Google claimed in its filings that the CCI’s investigation section replicated portions of a European 2018 judgement against the U.S. company. These accusations have received no response from the CCI or the European Commission.
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