The Tribunal promises to announce the next hearing day later.
The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Friday, November 24 announced the adjournment of the final hearing concerning the appeal of tech giant Google against the Competition Commission of India's (CCI) imposition of a $113 million penalty. The penalty was imposed on Google due to alleged abuse of its dominant position within the Play Store ecosystem.
On November 24, the NCLAT issued a notice postponing Google's appeal hearing, which was initially scheduled for November 28. The next hearing date will be notified later, NCLAT said in its latest notice.
Last year, the Competition Commission of India slapped two consecutive penalties, totalling approx. $275 million, on Google for abusing its dominance in the Android devices market ($162 million) and with regards to its Play Store policies ($113 million).
The CCI directed the tech giant to “not restrict app developers from using any third party billing/payment processing services”. The antitrust regulator’s decision came after app developers in India had been voicing their complaints against Google’s 15%-30% commission on the Play Store.
Following this, Google unveiled a new commission structure, which offered a rebate of 4%, effectively setting the stage for 11-26% commission rates.
The tech giant also filed an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging the NCLAT ruling that upheld the fine of $162 million. The apex court will hear the plea filed by Google in January 2024.
Sources: Inc42, Free Press Journal
