Google India has agreed to pay Rs 20.24 crore to settle the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) probe into the misuse of its dominant position by Google by enforcing restrictive agreements on OEMs manufacturing Android television sets. Google was accused of forcing OEMs to bundle its play store with all Android TVs Operating System, misusing its dominant position.
CCI said that it has accepted the settlement proposed by Google under Section 48A(3) of the Competition Act, 2002, and the CCI Settlement Regulations of 2024.
This is the first settlement of a case under the amended Competition Act, which introduced settlement and commitment provisions in 2023.
In the settlement, Google has also proposed changes to its vendor agreements to address the CCI’s concerns.
CCI had launched a probe in June 2021 into Google’s Android Smart TV practices after receiving a complaint from Xiaomi, and TCL India against Google India Pvt Ltd.
Google will now offer a separate licence for the Play Store and Play Services on Android smart TVs in India. OEMs will not be forced now to bundle these services with the Android OS.
