Creative Group, which offers mobile phone top-ups and e-vouchers for iTunes, Google, Spotify, Xbox, PlayStation, and other online services, raises €22M — Creative Group, a fintech startup headquartered in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, has landed a €22 million in funding from Prime Ventures …
Google has been accused of imposing “unfair conditions” on device manufacturers and abusing the popularity of its Android platform by the competition watchdog in India. It was earlier reported that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered an investigation into Google’s anti-competitive practices in India, but the details of that directive were not disclosed at the time.
Now, a Reuters exclusive bares those details after conducting a review of CCI’s 14-page order. The said order reveals that the CCI found Google imposing “unfair conditions” on device manufacturers. It says that by making pre-installation of Google apps conditional, the company has, “reduced the ability and incentive of device manufacturers to develop and sell devices operated on alternate versions of Android,” thereby flouting India’s competition laws. “It amounts to prima facie leveraging of Google’s dominance,” CCI said in the order.
Last week, it was reported that CCI is scanning Google’s agreements with OEMs and the conditions which the company places in those agreements. The CCI is said to have handed letters to several OEMs asking about their relationship with Google.
The investigation unit of CCI is expected to complete the probe into Google’s activities within 150 days of the April 14 order by CCI. However, as happens in cases like these, the matter could be dragged out for longer.
In a similar case last year, Google was fined $5 billion by the EU antitrust regulators for abusing the dominance of its Android platform.
According to Reuters, the complainants in the India case allege that Google engaged in similar anti-competitive practices in India “with the aim of cementing Google’s dominant position”.
Last year, a fine of $20 million was imposed on Google by the CCI for Search bias and abusing its dominant position. Google’s appeal against the fine is still pending.
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EU-based IT-consultant Capgemini to buy Altran for $4.1B, to fill the gap in its services competing with rivals like Accenture for IoT, 5G, and AI contracts — Capgemini SE said it will acquire Altran Technologies SA for 14 euros-a-share to expand its software engineering network with internet and technology companies.
Data mining and ad targeting company LiveRamp, formerly known as Acxiom, to acquire Data Plus Math, which helps advertisers analyze TV viewer data, for $150M — Cash-and-stock deal, valued at $150 million, combines companies' data sets that help advertisers check efficiency of campaigns
A look at the challenges, downsides, and huge costs of 5G rollout in the US, which may take a decade or more to complete — As carriers launch their 5G networks, the promise of superfast wireless is clashing with the reality of the rollout; ‘the real onslaught has not yet begun’
Splyt, which wants to bring international roaming to ride-hailing apps and already allows Alipay users to book Grab rides, raises $8M Series A from Grab, others — The vision of a universal global ride-hailing service is over. Uber's decision to exit markets like China …
GoFundMe is an increasingly popular way to raise money to cover medical expenses, where storytelling and personal connections often play a crucial role — When patients turn to crowdfunding for medical costs, whoever has the most heartrending story wins. — For those who want their hearts broken …
Yazhou Sun / Bloomberg : Anthropic cuts its list of unauthorized secondary market sellers from eight to four after the initial notice cau...
