The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered an investigation into allegations that Google abused the dominant position of Android in India's smart TV market. The CCI said that the agreements signed by smart TV makers with Google to use its operating system makes the pre-installation of Google applications mandatory.
The company said in the statement that, the emerging smart TV sector in India was thriving in part due to Google’s free licensing model and said Android TV competed with several well-established TV operating systems. This, prima facie, is an "unfair condition", it says. However, Google has denied wrongdoing.
The complaint was filed in May by antitrust lawyers Kshitiz Arya and Purushottam Anand who alleged that Google bars any company that acquired the licence for its AndroidTV platform from working with its competitors.
“If a TV manufacturer intends to use Google’s operating system, you have to enter into certain agreements. These agreements prohibit you from manufacturing any other device, whether it is televisions or phones on any forked version of Android," a person familiar with the matter told Mint.
Meanwhile, a Google spokesperson said that its smart TV licensing practices are in compliance with all laws.
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