CCI fines Google ₹136 crore for unfair business practices
NEWDELHI:India’s antitrust regulator on Thursday imposed a fine of ₹136 crore on Google Inc. for unfair business practices in the local market for online search.
Passing the order on complaints that were filed back in 2012, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said the penalty is being imposed on Google for “infringing anti-trust conduct”.
Globally, this is one of the rare cases where Google has been penalised for unfair business practices. It was alleged that Google indulged in abuse of its dominant position in the market for online search through practices leading to search bias and search manipulation, among others.
The penalty amount of ₹135.86 crore translates to 5% of the company’s average total revenue generated from India operations from its different business segments for the financial years 2013, 2014 and 2015, according to the CCI order.
The Competition Commission said it has given thoughtful consideration on the submis- sions made by Google on issue of penalty and found it appropriate to impose a fine. The ruling has come on complaints filed by Matrimony.com and Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) — back in 2012 — against Google LLC, Google India Pvt. Ltd and Google Ireland Ltd.
A Google spokesperson said the regulator has found that the company’s conduct on majority of issues examined were in compliance with Indian laws.
“We have always focused on innovating to support the evolving needs of our users. The Competition Commission of India has confirmed that, on the majority of issues it examined, our conduct complies with Indian competition laws. We are reviewing the narrow concerns identified by the Commission and will assess our next steps.”