India’s competition watchdog on Friday ordered an investigation into Alphabet’s Google over allegations from news publishers, saying its initial opinion was that the tech giant had broken some antitrust laws.
In its order, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said Google dominates certain online search services in the country and may have imposed unfair terms on news publishers.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The complainant, Digital News Publishers Association, which includes the digital branches of some of India’s largest media companies, said Google was denying its members fair advertising revenue.
“In a functioning democracy, the vital role of news media must not be undermined,” the CCI order said. “It appears that Google is using its dominant position in the relevant markets to enter/protect its position in the news aggregation services market.”
News organizations, which are missing out on ad revenue to online aggregators like Google, have been complaining for years about technology companies using stories in search results or other features without paying.
The CCI order also noted new rules in Australia and France — fueled by media lobbying and public pressure — that have resulted in licensing deals around the world worth billions of dollars collectively.
© Thomson Reuters 2021
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