Google criticizes regulators for ignoring Apple in the record EU fine case

Key Points:

·         Google criticized EU for ignoring rival Apple in the Android case.

·         Google says Android is a massive story of competition at work.

·         EU rejects Apple’s role due its small market share.

Google on Monday criticized EU antitrust regulators for not considering the role of Apple while launching a bid to repeal the $5.1 billion fine linked to Android operating system.

Google told judges at the General Court in Luxembourg that Android has been a massive success story of competition at work.

In 2018, the European Commission fined Google a record 4.34 billion euro ($5.1 billion) for using Android to hamper rivals and dominating the general internet search.

Google's lawyer Matthew Pickford told the court, "The Commission shut its eyes to the real competitive dynamic in this industry, that between Apple and Android."

"By defining markets too narrowly and downplaying the potent constraint imposed by the highly powerful Apple, the Commission has mistakenly found Google to be dominant in mobile operating systems and app stores, when it was in fact a vigorous market disrupter," he said.

Pickford said Android, which is found on about 80% of the world’s smartphones, "is an exceptional success story of the power of competition in action".

Commission lawyer Nicholas Khan, though, rejected role of Apple saying the market share of the iPhone maker is quite small as compared to Android.

"Bringing Apple into the picture doesn't change things very much. Google and Apple pursue different models," he told the court.

He further said the conduct of Google does not leave any opportunity for competition as it makes mandatory for phone manufacturers to pre-install Google Chrome and Play Store on their devices.

Gigaset Communications GmbH, a German phone maker which is supporting Google, said its success was based on Android’s open platforms. The German company also raised voice against the negative impact of the EU’s decision on its business.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Picture Credits: Reuters