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India fines Google $162M for anti-competitive practices on Android

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Re: India fines Google $162M for anti-competitive practices on Android

#101
post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is of course an excellent point: Microsoft getting repeatedly fined and slapped with anti-trust violations had actual results on their business practices. It might not have stopped them from other problematic behaviors, put certainly had a braking effect on the "nothing can stop us" train they were riding. The direct effect could be the Windows Phone not crushing the better options, yes. As you point out, Apple…

I wouldn't describe Nokia, Blackberry, or Palm as 'better options' in that space.

I'm not sure what you are pointing at, what are Nokia, Blackberry, or Palm alternatives of ? They all peaked at different areas and I feel little overlap.

Re: India fines Google $162M for anti-competitive practices on Android

#102

The American technology companies are looking increasingly vulnerable especially internationally. Tech companies are the new wave of American mega corporations. I wonder how the mega corporation of past managed to navigate these challenges? Did US government play any role in protecting the US companies? If so, what drove it, more business friendly Washington, more effective lobbying, or something else?

East India Company took over the country when needed.

Re: India fines Google $162M for anti-competitive practices on Android

#103
post #4

Here is the link to original order [ https://www.cci.gov.in/antitrust/press-release/details/261/0 ] some experts 13. Accordingly, in terms of the provisions of Section 27 of the Act, the Commission has imposed monetary penalty as well as issued cease and desist order against Google from indulging in anti-competitive practices that have been found to be in contravention of the provisions of Section 4 of the Act. Some…

> iv. Google shall not offer any monetary/ other incentives to, or enter into any arrangement with, OEMs for ensuring exclusivity for its search services.

Can someone explain why this is imposed? It seems like a fair deal if google offers money to samsung to be the default search provider. How is it different from google offering money to mozilla for the same?

Re: India fines Google $162M for anti-competitive practices on Android

#104
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Maybe the Indian government needs to push separate bills prohibiting manufactures from packaging crapware One person's crapware is another person's batteries-included-ware. We wouldn't want to ban Sony MP3 players from including an app that plays music, right? Similar to how we wouldn't want iPods to be banned from coming with an in-built Apple Music.app client[1] Google's bundled-in variant of an internet browser…

"One person's crapware is another person's batteries-included-ware." Point me at an android phone mfg in the past couple years that didn't come with not just FB preinstalled, but unable to delete. Or a samsung phone that doesn't have that annoying nagware you can't get rid of. This isn't about 'batteries included' its about junkware being made impossible to remove. What makes you special enough we all have to do thin…

pixel?

Re: India fines Google $162M for anti-competitive practices on Android

#105
Don’t expect anything to happen immediately. This order will be appealed and Google will take it up to the Indian Supreme Court. 2/3 more years till it all gets resolved. Most likely parts of this order will get rescinded blin appeal. I don’t see the whole thing going away and certainly there is impact on Google’s business practices. However this will take time to play out. In the next 2/3 years Google will try to workaround these restrictions as much as it can by sticking to the letter of the order while maintaining its advantage.

Re: India fines Google $162M for anti-competitive practices on Android

#107
post #4

Here is the link to original order [ https://www.cci.gov.in/antitrust/press-release/details/261/0 ] some experts 13. Accordingly, in terms of the provisions of Section 27 of the Act, the Commission has imposed monetary penalty as well as issued cease and desist order against Google from indulging in anti-competitive practices that have been found to be in contravention of the provisions of Section 4 of the Act. Some…

> iv. Google shall not offer any monetary/ other incentives to, or enter into any arrangement with, OEMs for ensuring exclusivity for its search services. Can someone explain why this is imposed? It seems like a fair deal if google offers money to samsung to be the default search provider. How is it different from google offering money to mozilla for the same?

Setting as default is quite different from "ensuring exclusivity." I'd have no problem banning Google from paying companies to be the only search engine usable on a phone.

Re: India fines Google $162M for anti-competitive practices on Android

#108
India is trying to grow and bolster its smartphones manufacturing capabilities. India’s domestic market for smartphones is one of the world’s largest and is still growing. More and more local apps are gaining traction due to cheap data plans (Thanks to Jio and soon, Adani entering the fray) At this point, the OS is crucial to ensure competitive growth and a level playing field.

Hence this decision will have the full backing of the Government which will even bring in new legislature to see to it that the Giants don’t monopolise everything.

Re: India fines Google $162M for anti-competitive practices on Android

#109
post #14

Good in theory but Google's Android apps and Google forbidding Indian telcom companies and Chinese smartphone manufactures from installing adwarecrap has made the ultra-cheap smartphone experience somewhat tolerable for hundreds of millions of people. It's all going to be insufferable adware hell from now on.

> It's all going to be insufferable adware hell from now on.

The same sorts of rules should prevent those companies from blocking alternative operating systems (including plain AOSP) from supporting the phones of those insufferable adware smartphone manufacturer companies.

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