news/GOOGL/2023.01.04/India tribunal declines Google's request to block Android antitrust ruling.txt

NEW DELHI, Jan 4 (Reuters) - An Indian tribunal on
Wednesday declined a request by Google to block an antitrust
ruling that ordered the tech giant to change its approach to its
Android platform, dealing the U.S. firm a setback in a key
growth market.In October, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) fined
Alphabet Inc's Google $161 million for exploiting its
dominant position in markets such as online search and the
Android app store, and asked it to change curbs on smartphone
makers related to pre-installing apps.During the hearing, Google's counsel, Abhishek Manu Singhvi,
repeatedly pushed for putting the decision on hold, or extending
the date of implementation of CCI's directives beyond Jan. 19.
He said the CCI's decision will force the company to change its
business model and harm consumer interest.The tribunal did not agree. "We are of opinion that at
the moment given the voluminous nature of the appeal, there is
no need to pass any interim order," the two-member tribunal
panel said.Googletoldthe tribunal in a legal filing that CCI's investigation
unit copied parts of a European ruling against the U.S. firm
from a similar verdict on abuse of market dominance of its
Android operating system, Reuters reported on Tuesday.The CCI investigators "copy-pasted extensively from a
European Commission decision, deploying evidence from Europe
that was not examined in India", Google alleged.The CCI has not responded yet to those allegations.
(Reporting by Arpan Chaturvedi and Munsif Vengattil in New
Delhi; Editing by Christopher Cushing)