CCI probe into Google: What are the allegations?

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The Competition Commission of India(CCI) has ordered an investigation into the conduct of Google in the smart TV segment over allegations that the company’s agreements with smart TV manufacturers restricted the development and usage of alternate versions of Android.

What are the alleged violations of the Competition Act by Google? According to the order by the CCI, Google requires Original Equipment Manufacturer(OEM) that wants to pre-install Google’s app store on their products to sign two agreements:

Television App Distribution Agreement(TADA):

• • It requires manufacturers to pre-install an entire suite of Google applications on their devices and not just any single application.
  • The mandatory pre-installation of all the Google applications instead of allowing OEMs to pick and choose Google apps amounted to the imposition of unfair conditions on the smart TV device manufacturers under the Competition Act.

Android Compatibility Commitment(ACC) Agreement:

• • It requires that OEMs do not use alternate or “forked” versions of Android on any of their devices which could include smartphones and tablet computers.
  • These restrictions by Google reduces the incentives of manufacturers to develop alternate versions of android which is also in violation of the Competition Act.

Source: Indian Express