The NCLAT has begun to hear Google's appeal on the antitrust penalty of Rs 936 crore

The NCLAT has begun to hear Google's appeal on the antitrust penalty of Rs 936 crore

The hearing before the appeal tribunal is anticipated to resume tomorrow, May 8. Senior counsel Sajan Poovayya represented the tech behemoth in person and provided a summary of the Google Play Store's business plan.

Google's appeal against the CCI ruling is launched by NCLAT.

On May 7, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) began considering Google's appeal against the Competition Commission of India's (CCI) ruling that penalized the tech giant for abusing its dominant position in the playstore ecosystem by imposing a penalty of Rs 936 crore.

On May 8, the appeal tribunal is anticipated to resume the hearing. Senior counsel Sajan Poovayya represented the tech behemoth in person and provided a synopsis of the Google Play Store's business plan.

Poovayya began his remarks by pointing out that 97% of the apps available on the Play Store are free. Poovayya claims that Google offers a wide range of services beyond only invoicing and payment processing, and that it invests a lot of money in keeping the Play Store up to date.

He continued by saying that Google has procedures in place to guarantee that consumers have a flawless experience and that the apps on the Play Store are virus-free.

Almost a year and a half after Google filed its appeal against the CCI ruling in January 2023, the matter is scheduled for a final hearing.

The tribunal scheduled the matter for the final hearing in April 2023 after declining to provide Google with immediate relief from the CCI's judgment on January 11, 2023. Despite having appealed the NCLAT ruling to the Supreme Court, Google eventually dropped the lawsuit.

App creators have filed a lawsuit before the CCI alleging that Google disregarded the antitrust regulator's orders.

On October 25, 2022, the CCI fined the tech behemoth for preventing app developers from utilizing any third-party payment processing or billing services to buy applications on the Google Play Store for in-app charging. Downloadable mobile applications are available via Google Play Store, a digital distribution platform run and built by the search engine giant.

According to the CCI, forcing app developers to use the Google Play Billing System (GPBS) for in-app purchases and premium applications in order to reach the Play Store is an unreasonable condition placed on them. According to the CCI, Google engaged in discriminatory behavior when it refused to use GPBS for its own YouTube app.