Russia’s national regulator, the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service, has fined Google $6.75 million for breaking antitrust laws by practically requiring Android device makers to install its own services.
It was last October that FAS had originally found Google guilty of the violation. The company, owned by Alphabet Inc., had insisted that manufacturers of Android smartphones and tablets install its services, including its bread-and-butter search service, in order to make the official Android app store Google Play available on the gadgets.
Delivering its verdict last year, the regulator remarked that Google also did not permit pre-installation of third party services, like Russian search engine Yandex NV, which filed a complaint for FAS to review. The freshly-leveled fine, equivalent to 438 million rubles, represents a share of Google Play’s domestic sales, according to an FAS representative – who, reports Bloomberg, did not specify the exact share figure in this case.
The news outlet further reports a press officer’s insistence that Google should pay the fine within 60 days. The regulator says that the Russian antitrust service remains in talks with Google with a view to reaching an amicable settlement. In an emailed statement, Google revealed that it has been notified about the fine and will closely study the decision before deciding which further action to take.