Friday, December 13, 2024

Google faces competition action by two big nations

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Google on Thursday found itself facing competition probes from two of the world’s biggest nations.

In India – the most populous nation on Earth – the Competition Commission ordered [PDF] a probe after a developer called WinZo – which promotes itself with the chance to “Play Mobile Games & Win Cash” – complained that Google Play won’t host games that offer real money as prizes, only allowing sideloading onto Android devices.

Google India has, however, conducted a pilot under which two classes of real money games – fantasy sports and the card game Rummy – have been allowed. WinZo thinks its exclusion is unfair.

The developer is also upset that Google has flagged it as potentially risky when Android users employ Google Pay to make payments in its games, and complained to the Commission that Google has no criteria for displaying such warnings.

Google’s ad services also earned WinZo’s ire. It claims the search giant would only allow promotion of fantasy sports and Rummy. The developer thinks that’s unfair to software houses that make other forms of real money games.

Advertising is the reason for the other Google probe announced Thursday, by the Competition Bureau of Canada – the world’s second-largest country by area.

The Bureau announced its investigations found Google’s ads biz “abused its dominant position through conduct intended to ensure that it would maintain and entrench its market power” and “engaged in conduct that reduces the competitiveness of rival ad tech tools and the likelihood of new entrants in the market.”

The Bureau thinks the situation can be addressed if Google sells two of its ads tools – but the filing in which the identity of those two products will be revealed is yet to appear on the site of the Competition Tribunal.

These fresh actions add to Google’s already complicated portfolio of legal problems, which currently include the US proposing it be forced to sell the Chrome browser to curtail its search monopoly, and a European action that found the search giant long ago broke monopoly laws with its internet shopping service. ®

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