India fines Google hundreds of millions of dollars more, demands open third-party payments www.deekpay.com

## India lights up! Google fined $113 million, in-app payment system hit hard! After being fined $162 million last week, Google has once again been hit hard by India's market regulator! This time, the Competition Commission of India fined Google $113 million for abusing its "dominant position" to force software developers to use its in-app payment system. What's going on? The Competition Commission of India argued that Google's behaviour restricted the right of software developers to use other third-party payment software and deprived them of the means to generate key revenues from the sale of in-app digital goods. To rectify this, the Commission asked Google to take eight corrective measures within three months, including: no longer restricting the use of third-party payment services by software developers, whether for in-app or out-of-app purchases. The move is significant for the Indian market! It is undoubtedly good news for Indian startups and small businesses that have long been subject to Google's payment restrictions. According to Contepointe Research, more than 90% smartphones in the Indian market use Android, meaning that this action by Google has negatively impacted the entire ecosystem. What was Google's response? A Google spokesperson said that they are studying the Indian penalty decision and evaluating their next steps. According to the law, Google can approach the Indian courts to seek a reversal of the Competition Commission's order. It's worth noting that Google's behaviour of forcing software developers to use its in-app payment system is not limited to India and has been criticised in other countries and regions as well. Google is currently facing another investigation in India regarding its business practices in the smart TV market. What will be the final outcome of this battle? We'll see! Keywords: Google, India, In-App Payments, Antitrust, Regulation, Android