CCI approves Google's settlement proposal in Android television case
This story was originally published at 21:51 IST on 21 April 2025
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--CCI approves Google's settlement proposal in Android TV case
NEW DELHI – The Competition Commission of India Monday approved Google LLC and Google India Pvt. Ltd.'s settlement proposal in the Android television case. The competition watchdog said the final settlement amount to be paid by the Google companies was INR 202.40 million.
As per the proposal, the Google companies would send binding letters to all their Android television partners that sell smart television devices in India that it would waive the television app distribution agreement's requirement to have Android compatibility commitments for devices in India. In addition, Google will amend the television app distribution agreement template to reflect the waiver and make this template available to all new agreement partners as well as to existing partners upon renewal of their agreements.
The waiver under settlement permits agreement signatories to introduce devices in India that operate on non-compatible versions of Android, provided they do not incorporate Google applications, the competition watchdog said. Additionally, the scope of the waiver extends beyond smart televisions, it said.
Under the television app distribution agreement, companies may not only launch smart televisions running incompatible versions of Android but also other device categories such as smart watches and mobile phones, the competition watchdog noted. The commission said a five-year duration for implementation of the settlement proposal was reasonable, as it provides a time-bound framework that facilitates effective monitoring.
The case has its genesis from the information filed by Kshitiz Arya and Purushottam Anand against Google LLC, Google India, Xiaomi Technology India Pvt. Ltd., and TCL India Holding Pvt. Ltd. for alleged contravention of various provisions of the Competition Act, 2002. It was alleged that Google misused its dominant position in the market by enforcing restrictive agreements on original equipment manufacturers, including compulsory bundling of the Play Store with the Android television operating system and preventing the use or creation of rival forked Android versions through its anti-fragmentation agreements. These practices allegedly blocked market access, curbed competition, and placed unrelated obligations on original equipment manufacturers, ultimately stifling innovation and violating provisions of Section 4 of the 2002 Act, said the informants.
In 2021, the Competition Commission ordered its director general to probe Google under the Competition Act. The investigation concluded that the Android smart television operating system has a dominant position in the relevant market of "licensable smart TV device operating system in India" and Google Play Store is in a dominant position in the "market for app store for android smart TV OS (operating system) in India". The probe found that Google's television app distribution agreement and Android compatibility commitments executed together imposed unfair terms by requiring the pre-installation of its full app bundle Google television services, preventing original equipment manufacturers from developing or using Android forks and hindering innovation. End
Reported by Surya Tripathi
Edited by Rajeev Pai
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