Google is in South Korea’s sights again because of its anti-competitive practices. The KFTC, the country’s regulatory body, fined him 150 million euros for preventing manufacturers from developing their own fork of Android. The Mountain View firm said it will appeal the judgment.
There is almost a month without Google getting fined for anti-competitive practices. The whole world began to investigate the methods of the Mountain View firm and millions are falling like flies. Recently, it was France which demanded that the publisher pay 220 million euros in compensation for its dubious advertising practices. Shortly after, she returned to the charge, this time with a hefty bill of 500 million euros for her heated negotiations with the press editors.
It is now the turn of South Korea to join in the dance. Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC), the country’s competition regulator, has announced a fine of 207 billion won, or 150 million euros, to Google because of its abusive contracts with manufacturers. The latter is in fact criticized for imposing “anti-fragmentation agreements”, which prevent its partners from equipping their devices with Android fork. The FKTC has said this is its 9th largest fine reported to date.
Google prevents manufacturers from modifying its version of Android
The FKTC believes that these clauses of the contract assure Google of maintain the dominant position of Android in the industry, by preventing the development of any competition. The organization cites in particular the case of Samsung which, in 2013, launched a smartwatch with a modified OS. The builder was forced to change operating system soon after, Google having reported a violation of the anti-fragmentation agreement.
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In a statement, Google announced its intention to appeal this judgment. According to the firm, the FKTC greatly minimizes the benefits for users of this type of practice, particularly in terms of device compatibility. The authority quickly retorted that its “This decision is significant in that it offers the possibility of re-establishing future competitive pressure in the markets for mobile operating systems and applications”.
Source: Reuters