While Google’s appeal was scheduled to be heard by the apex court on April 17, the tech major has withdrawn the appeal.
Google has withdrawn its appeal before the Supreme Court against an NCLAT decision denying interim relief to the big tech in the form of a stay on the $113 penalty imposed by the CCI in its last year ruling in the Google Play Store policy case.
Google has already deposited with NCLAT as much as 10 per cent of the penalty amount. The final hearing before NCLAT in this case is slated for next week.
Last October, CCI accused Google of abusing its dominant position in the Play Store and fined the IT giant 937 crores ($113.5 million). The U.S. company was ordered to allow app developers to use third-party billing systems for paid apps and in-app purchases.
Google then announced that starting April 26, 2023, it will introduce User Choice Billing (UCB), which will allow app developers to use third-party payment systems.
Domestic start-ups oppose this as Google will still charge hefty commissions/service fees of 15-26 per cent, even after UCB, to app developers who use third-party billing systems. The Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) last month asked India's antitrust regulator to investigate Google for devising a new system.
This week, a group of Indian startups has asked a court to suspend Google's new in-app billing fee system until the country's antitrust body investigates the U.S. firm for alleged non-compliance with its directives.
Source: Hindu Business Line
