Google to take India's Supreme Court to block CCI ruling

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Google to take India's Supreme Court to block CCI ruling

SANKALP PHARTIYAL REUTERS NEW DELHI - Google is preparing to approach India's Supreme Court within a few days to try to block a decision by the country's antitrust watchdog that will force the US company to change how it markets its Android platform, two people familiar with its strategy told Reuters.

The Competition Commission of India CCI fined Alphabet Inc for $161 million in October for exploiting its dominant position in the market for Android, which powers 97 percent of smartphones in India, a key growth region for the US giant.

Google is worried about the Indian decision as the remedies ordered are seen as more sweeping than the European Commission's landmark 2018 decision to impose restrictions on Android mobile device makers. In that case, Google has challenged the record $4.3 billion fine.

The Supreme Court will have to file a legal challenge in India within a few days, as the antitrust watchdog's Jan 19 deadline to implement changes to its model looms, the first source with direct knowledge said.

A spokesman for Google didn't respond immediately to a request for comment.

The Supreme Court approach will come after Google lost its bid to block the antitrust ruling after a tribunal turned down its request to do so. The company argued that the CCI directives will hurt its long-standing business model and consumer interests.

The source said that Google believes that some of CCI's directives can't be implemented, and that the company has no other option than to approach the Supreme Court for relief.

Google licenses its Android system to smartphone makers, but critics say it imposes restrictions like mandatory pre-installation of its own apps that are anti-competitive. The agreement helps keep the operating system free, according to the company.

In October, the CCI ruled that Google's licensing of its Play Store will not be linked to the requirement of pre-installing Google search services, the Chrome browser, YouTube or any other Google applications.

In its filings, Google claims that the CCI's investigation unit copied parts of a European 2018 ruling against the US firm. The European Commission and the CCI haven't responded to those allegations.