Japan’s antitrust agency has determined that Alphabet’s Google will interrupt what it has classified as anti -specific practices related to mobile search services – the first order against a US technology giant in the country.
The Japan Fair Trade Committee (Japan Fair Trade Commission, or JFTC) reported on Tuesday that since July 2020, Google had been making it difficult for some smartphone manufacturers and a mobile telephone operator to easily offer competition services in gadgets with the Android system.
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Google said it was disappointed by the committee’s conclusions and argued that its agreements with partners in Japan encourage competition and strengthen the ability of these companies to invest in product innovation by offering more options to consumers. The company said it will carefully analyze the decision to define the next steps.
According to JFTC, Google required certain manufacturers to pre-install its search and browser mechanism as default on the home screen of the devices.
The commission also pointed out that, to share part of the revenue with search ads, the company imposed as a condition the exclusive use of its services by some manufacturers and a telephone operator.
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The regulator also determined that Google designates an independent entity to monitor compliance with the imposed measures. This external agent shall submit annual reports to the committee for the next five years. Source: Dow Jones Newswires.
