30-day penalty payment deadline
Google has paid the penalty amount of Rs 1,337.76 crore that was imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for allegedly exploiting its dominant position in the Android market. This is the first instance of a Big Tech company paying a heavy penalty to Indian regulators as the government aims to introduce an inclusive Digital India Act (DIA).
According to reliable sources, the payment was made within the 30-day deadline given by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) in its order, and it has been deposited in the Consolidated Fund of India. Dr. Ritesh Malik, Director of Alliance for Digital India Foundation (ADIF), said that tech giants consider the fines as a “cost of doing business” and prefer to pay them instead of making the ecosystem fairer and non-discriminative. Malik added that while Google has paid the penalty, the paramount concern is whether the company is complying with the CCI rulings in letter and spirit.
Google has paid a penalty of Rs 1,337.76 crore imposed by the CCI for exploiting its dominant position in the Android market. The penalty amount has been deposited in the Consolidated Fund of India within the 30-day deadline given by the NCLAT. The penalty was imposed in October 2022 and Google has complied with the CCI’s directives for Android earlier this year.
Developers can offer users an alternative billing system along with Google Play’s billing system when purchasing in-app digital content. Google has also been fined Rs 936.44 crore in a separate case for abusing its dominant position with respect to its Play Store policies.
The ADIF expressed deep concern over Google’s new Google Play payments policy and demanded that the new policies be put on hold, stating that Google charging a nearly 30 percent service fee on app developers will significantly impact the Indian startup ecosystem.
