Google Said to Face Antitrust Case in India Over Abuse in Smart TV Market

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Said to Face Antitrust Case in India Over ****** in Smart TV Market

Alphabet’s

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is facing a new antitrust case in India in which the US tech giant is alleged to have abused its Android operating system’s position in the smart television market, a source and two lawyers involved in the case told Reuters.

The case is

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’s fourth major antitrust challenge in India, one of its key markets where it is currently facing public criticism from local startups for enforcing certain policies and company charges they contend hurt their growth.

It also comes as

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faces new antitrust challenges in the ******* States, and a potential antitrust probe in China that is set to look into how it allegedly uses its dominance of its Android mobile operating system to stifle competition.

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has denied any wrongdoing.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has since June been looking into allegations that

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engages in anti-competitive practices by creating barriers for firms wanting to use or develop modified versions of Android for smart TVs, such as

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***** TV’s operating system, according to the source, who has direct knowledge of the case.

The case has been filed by two Indian antitrust lawyers, Kshitiz Arya and Purushottam Anand. They both confirmed the case filing against

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for alleged ****** in the smart television market, but declined to comment further.

The source said the CCI had directed

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to submit its written responses to the allegations and that the company has sought more time.

A

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spokesman declined comment, since the case with the antitrust body was pending.

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and the CCI did not respond to requests for comment.

Unlike Indian court cases, filings and details of cases reviewed by the CCI are not disclosed publicly.

The antitrust watchdog could order a wider investigation against

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if it finds merit in the allegations, or throw out the case completely.

Smart TVs, or WiFi-enabled TVs with apps for streaming services like

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and

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, have become increasingly popular in India.

Data from Counterpoint Research shows 8 million smart TV sets were sold in India in 2019. Three in five smart TVs sold in India are based on

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’s Android system, which also powers nearly 99 percent of India’s half a billion smartphone user base.

The latest case alleges that

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’s agreements with companies such as Xiaomi and TV manufacturer TCL India effectively stop them from using both the Android system and a modified version of it on different devices they make, according to the source.

For example, if a company sells smartphones based on

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’s Android, it cannot sell smart TVs running on competing platforms like the

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***** TV system, according to the case against the Mountain View, California-based company, the source said.

In reverse, if a company’s smart TV is using

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’s ***** operating system, then that company is restricted from offering

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’s popular Play Store or the

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maps app on its smartphones.

Xiaomi India and TCL India, which is part of China’s TCL, are both party to the case along with

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. Xiaomi did not respond to requests for comment while TCL declined to comment.

In 2018, the CCI fined

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Rs. 1,360 crores for “search bias,” but a company appeal against that is pending. The CCI last year also started probing

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for allegedly misusing its dominant position to reduce the ability of smartphone makers to opt for alternate versions of its Android system.

Earlier this year, the CCI started reviewing a case alleging that

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abuses its market position to unfairly promote its mobile payments app in the country.

© Thomson Reuters 2020

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cci smart tv antitrust probe ****** dominance of android

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,smart tv,

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