Google on Thursday lost its fight in India’s Supreme Court to block an antitrust order, in a major setback that will force the U.S. tech giant to change the business model of its popular Android operating system in a key growth market.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) ruled in October that Google, exploited its dominant position in Android and told it to remove restrictions imposed on device makers, including related to pre-installation of apps. It also fined Google $161 million.
Related: EU: Commission publishes full Google Android Decision
Google challenged the order in the Supreme Court, saying it would hurt consumers and its business. It warned growth of the Android ecosystem could stall and it would be forced to alter arrangements with more than 1,100 device manufacturers and thousands of app developers. Google also said “no other jurisdiction has ever asked for such far-reaching changes”.
