EC is investigating Google’s Android contracts – SAPO Tek

After having announced its intention to proceed with a separate investigation into the Android operating system, the European Commissioner for Competition now comes the public talk on the topic. In this case, Margrethe Vestager said to be investigating the agreements between Google, mobile phone manufacturers and operators themselves.

The announcement by the Commissioner, comes after more than a year of investigations into Android and which have been triggered by complaints from companies that claim to feel aggrieved by alegas unfair practices of Google.

However, a decision on the investigation into the competitive practices of Google in the management of search results search engine and shopping service will still be known this year and, as in the case of Android theme, could settle a fine up to 7.4 billion dollars, or 10% of total revenues from Google in 2015. at the same time, the US giant may be forced to change several business practices.

Remember that in this case, and after the US Federal Trade Commission has presented an investigation against the US giant in the research and established market an agreement, the European Commission also followed his steps.

Vestager remembered, by the way, that big companies can not decide Protect it to themselves, to hide information about innovations.

“that’s why we are looking on Google’s contracts either with the mobile phone manufacturers want with the operators using the Android operating system,” he said Commissioner during a conference organized by the Dutch Competition Authority.

“What worries us is that, by requiring manufacturers and operators integrating source a set of Google applications in their devices instead of letting them choose which applications they would like to carry, Google is the limiting the main way to get new applications to end users. “

the” war “between Google and the European Commission has already taken steps in different directions. On the European side, the latest research is to Android, still at a preliminary stage, in which the objective is to ascertain whether or not arguments to justify an indictment. The EC tries to see if the company would in some way, acted to prevent manufacturers of smartphones and tablets to develop and commercialize competitive versions of Android.

One of the main concerns has to do with the possibility Google has hampered the development and access to the Android ecosystem of applications and services rivals, to choose to make a bundle that brings together some of its most popular products. They say the complaints that come to the EC that the company requires manufacturers to integrate this package on smartphones with Android, prohibiting it done the same with competing services.

In recent days have circulated rumors which ensures that European Commission is about to make an announcement about the investigation to Android. The announcement should serve to announce a formal investigation and align a set of concrete charges.