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Google Fined For Breaking Russian Antitrust Rules With Android (seekingalpha.com)

Posted by msmash on from the difficult-customers dept.

Google has been fined a sum of $6.75 million for competition violations by Russia's antimonopoly watchdog on Thursday. The antimonopoly body accused U.S. technology company Google of forcing retailers to install and keep a suite of its app on mobile phones that were sold on the Russian market. SeekingAlpha adds: Google was found last October to have violated rules related to the objection. The fine amount was determined as a portion of Google Play sales in the country, though an exact breakdown has not been disclosed. An appeal of the case is set to continue August 16 and talks to settle the matter amicably are additionally said to be under consideration. Google has also run into antitrust issues with the European Commission in recent months.

4 of 26 comments (clear)

  1. Pocket change! by Big+Hairy+Ian · · Score: 3, Interesting

    That's less than they owe taxes in Liechtenstein!

    --

    Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day. Set a Man on Fire, and He'll Be Warm for the Rest of His Life.

  2. 6.7 meeeellion dollars! by Citizen+of+Earth · · Score: 2

    fined a sum of $6.75 million

    I don't understand this. I expected a fine from hurting Russia on a rich company like Google to a multi-billion dollar budget-filler. This piddling fine is more like a wink and a nod to keep "breaking the 'law'" (let's pretend Putin's Russia has Law).

    1. Re:6.7 meeeellion dollars! by Nidi62 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It is now about money. It is about beating Google into submission, one slap at a time. Now, if Google keeps resisting just watch the fines increase. And if that does not do the trick, watch the injunctions come in making doing business in Russia neigh impossible for Google.

      No, Russia will just force Google to do business in Russia through a company that is owned by someone who coincidentally owns the dacha right next to Putin's.

      --
      The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
  3. This isn't about antitrust. by tlambert · · Score: 2

    This isn't about antitrust.

    If Google pays the fine, they admit the Russian court has jurisdiction.
    If Google fights the fine in court, they admit the Russian court has jurisdiction.

    It's a camel's nose in the jurisdictional tent, since they could just waltz into court, and say "The only reason they have the apps installed is because they want to use the 'Android' trademark; fine: call it 'Robotizirovannyy' or whatever the hell else you want to call it other than the trademark, and you're good to go".

    This is about Russia's recent laws on cryptographic communications being required to be able to be eavesdropped upon by the FSB (Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation) and SVR (Foreign Intelligence Service), and about device data being decryptable.

    The apps are relevant because the browser includes HTTPS, and GMail, YouTube, and other apps use strong encryption.

    They are basically trying to force the strong cryptography "gone", or (minimally) force it "off by default", or (preferably) backdoor the hell out of it.

    There's a reason that Google closed down the Chrome/ChromeOS group in Moscow on 14 Dec 2014.

    https://www.theguardian.com/wo...