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The emailed statement added that Indian developers have benefited from the technology, security, consumer protections, and unrivalled choice and flexibility that Android and Google Play<\/a> provide.
“And, by keeping costs low, our model has powered India's digital transformation and expanded access for hundreds of millions of Indians,” it said. “We remain committed to our users and developers and are reviewing the decision to evaluate the next steps.”
On Wednesday, CCI imposed a penalty of Rs 936.44 crore on Google for abusing its dominant position with respect to its Play Store<\/a> policies, apart from issuing a cease-and-desist order. The commission also directed Google to modify its conduct within a defined timeline. This includes allowing mobile app developers to use third-party payment services on its app store.
“Google is allowed three months from the date of receipt of this order to implement necessary changes in its practices and\/or modify the applicable agreements\/policies and to submit a compliance report to the Commission in this regard,” the CCI said in its ruling. Last week, the watchdog imposed a Rs 1,337.76 crore penalty on Google for abusing its dominant position in the Android devices<\/a> market.
What Indian startups say
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Google is also reviewing its next steps with respect to the earlier order, the company had said last week.
In Wednesday’s ruling, CCI said Google was guilty of flouting multiple provisions of the Competition Act, such as making Google’s in-house payment and billing system mandatory for paid apps and in-app purchases. The commission said Google imposed unfair conditions on app developers.
While Indian startups have said that the CCI decision will \"benefit and protect\" Indian entrepreneurs from \"digital colonialism,\" some have expressed a few concerns regarding the order, arguing that a number of questions were still unanswered.
The concerns are over the possibility of Google appealing against the CCI order and getting a stay and whether it will then introduce the commission in India. Also, what happens to firms that have opted for the Google Play pilot on alternative billing and will the company impose the levy through another way, they asked.
Google was supposed to levy the commission from October 31 in India while globally it came into force in June.
Naval Chopra and Yaman Verma, partners at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas who represented the confidential informant whose complaint started this case, said it is likely that Google will push for a stay on the order. If that’s granted at the first hearing by the appellate tribunal, it would cause irreparable harm to the ecosystem, they said.
\"If a stay on the order is granted, it would make the CCI's investigation and verdict come to naught as none of their directions would be enforceable, which is problematic,\" they told ET in a response.
Google didn’t respond to queries.
Indian developers too are anticipating that Google will most likely file its challenge by next week and are gearing up to contest it.
\"They were probably anticipating this verdict and that's why their India policy head resigned a few weeks back,\" said Snehil Khanor, founder and CEO of TrulyMadly. Khanor added that the \"developers are ready\" to \"fight\" the case and have been watching how Google has tackled a similar issue in South Korea.
On September 26, Google's head of public policy Archana Gulati resigned just five months after taking the job. She led a team of public policy executives who looked at regulatory implications for the company in India, a market that Google has widely regarded as being an important one. The reason for her sudden exit is unknown.