It seems Google has landed in trouble as the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed a whopping 136-crore fine on Google for search bias and abusing its dominant position.
As per CCI Google abused its dominant position on three counts that largely relate to search while no foul play was seen in case of advertising.
The Competition Commission also imposed a penalty amounting to 5% of the average revenue generated from India over the three years to FY15 which comes up to a whopping 135 crores. This amount has to be deposited within 60 days. A maximum penalty of 10% can be imposed under the Act.
The order stated, “Google was found to be indulging in practices of search bias and by doing so, it causes harm to its competitors as well as to users.”
The CCI stated, “Google was leveraging its dominance in the market for online general web search, to strengthen its position in the market for online syndicate search services.”
It Operates search and its advertising services AdWords in a discriminatory manner is causing harm to advertisers and indirectly to consumers is the key complaint against Google.
Google’s spokesperson said the CCI order had found in its favour for most of the issues examined, barring a few.
The spokesperson stated, “We have always focused on innovating to support the evolving needs of our users. The Competition Commission of India has confirmed that, on the majority of issues it examined, our conduct complies with Indian competition laws. We are reviewing the narrow concerns identified by the Commission and will assess our next steps.”
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