Paris, 18.07.2018 – The association Open Internet Project (OIP), formal complainant in the Android investigation since March 2017, welcomes the decision taken today by the European Commission against Alphabet/Google, prohibiting Google’s abusive practices regarding its mobile operating system Android.
Today, the European Commission formally prohibited certain contractual obligations towards operators of mobile devices. In particular, Google was found to abuse its dominance by (i) tying Android with Google’s search and browser apps, (ii) by payment conditions on an exclusive pre-installation of Google Search and (iii) by obstructing the development and distribution of competing Android operating systems. Google now has the obligation to stop within 90 days and to not re-engage in any of the three types of practices. This comes on top of the record-breaking fine of EUR 4.3 bn imposed with today’s decision. The OIP welcomes the determination and dynamism of Mrs Margrethe Vestager, European Commissioner for competition since she took over the Google cases in November 2014.
The OIP and has been at the forefront of European endeavours to establish a level playing field for businesses in the internet ecosystem. Against this backdrop, the OIP appreciates today’s finding that it was illegal for Google – having overwhelming market dominance in all relevant markets – to impose contractual restraints on manufacturers of Android smartphones and tablets. These restraints made it virtually impossible for them to market Google-free devices and to choose the most suitable sets of applications for their phones. This in turn hampered competition amongst app developers and online services trying to reach their audience and reduced the choice for consumers.
"We are very satisfied that the European Commission has understood how Google uses the dominant position of the Android operating system to impede competition on a diversity of markets. Today's decision is a confirmation that the European Union will no longer tolerate this kind of situations where European consumers are forced to use the services of a dominant company because this company deprives them of a choice of alternative services in fair conditions. We now expect Google to fully comply with the Commission's decision", underlines Eric Léandri, President of the OIP.