CCI orders probe against Google Play Store pricing

PTI

New Delhi, March 15

Fair trade regulator CCI on Friday ordered a probe against Google for alleged anti-competitive practices with respect to its Play Store pricing policy.

Passing the order, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said the informants are primarily aggrieved with Google’s updated payment policies in relation to its proprietary app store — Google Play Store — which is alleged to be in violation of the competition law.

The order also comes less than two weeks after Google removed some apps from the Play Store over payment issues. On March 1, Google removed some apps from its Play Store in India over a dispute on service fee payments and a few days later, it reinstated the apps in the wake of the government criticism. It is alleged that the payment policies are stated to be impacting stakeholders, including app developers, payment processors, and users alike.

The watchdog has ordered the probe after prima-facie finding that Google has violated Section 4 of the Competition Act that pertains to abuse of dominant position.

In its 21-page order, the regulator stated that Google has claimed that the service fee has been charged for a multitude of services provided by Play Store to app developers.

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