Google accuses CCI of copy-pasting European Commission's order on abusing Android dominance: Report

In October, the CCI fined Google $161 million for exploiting its dominant position in markets such as online search and the Android app store and asked it to do away with the restrictions on phone-makers pertaining to preinstalling apps.

Google has approached a court in India seeking to have CCI’s order quashed.

Reports had said that Google was worried that the CCI’s order was more sweeping that the European Commission’s landmark 2018 ruling for imposing unlawful restrictions on Android device makers.

In this case, Google has challenged a record 4.1-billion-euro ($4.3 billion) fine.

Appealing against the CCI’s order, Google said CCI's investigation unit "copy-pasted extensively from a European Commission decision, deploying evidence from Europe that was not examined in India," Reuters reported.

"There are more than 50 instances of copypasting", in some cases "word-for-word", and the watchdog erroneously dismissed the issue, Google said in its filing which is not public but has been reviewed by Reuters.

"The Commission failed to conduct an impartial, balanced, and legally sound investigation ... Google's mobile app distribution practices are pro-competitive and not unfair/ exclusionary."

In a statement in connection with its appeal, Google said it decided to appeal the CCI's decision as it believes "it presents a major setback for our Indian users and businesses".

It did not mention the allegations of copy-pasting against the Indian anti-trust body.

The tribunal will hear Google’s appeal seeking to quash the order on Wednesday.