techaeris : Russian antitrust officials fine Google $6.8 million

Russian antitrust officials fine Google $6.8 million

Russian antitrust officials fined Google $6.8 million dollars (USD) today for abusing its position in the smartphone market.A ruling last year found that Google was guilty of showing preferential treatment to its services as they related to Android.Essentially the Russian government is saying that Google offered no competitors to their own services and required Google services be used in order for an OEM to use Android with Google Play installed.

Google fined $6.8 million by Russian antitrust body

Google isn't a major player in Russia and a fine of $6.8 million is but a scratch for such a highly profitable firm.But these problems are beginning to mount up as antitrust regulators around the globe put the company in the firing line.In Europe, the European Commission is charging the company with abuse of its dominant position for similar reasons, saying that withholding access to Google Play for forked and AOSP versions of the operating system is unfair.

Russia issues measly $6.8 million fine against Google in antitrust case

Russia began investigating Google for antitrust violations last year after the largest search engine in the country, Yandex, complained to authorities.It alleged that Google's promotion of its own services over alternatives (like Yandex) on Android was anti-competitive.Now, the Russian Federation Antimonopoly Service (FAS) has issued a $6.8 million fine against Google.