Competition Commission slapped Rs 136 cr fine on Google for search bias
New Delhi, February 9: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) slammed a fine of Rs 136 crore against Google for 'indulging in practices of search bias'.
The hefty fee was calculated as five percent of the average annual revenue generated by Google's Indian operations. Google has 60 days to pay the fine, the CCI said.
However, the CCI said it did not find any contravention in respect of Google's specialised search design, AdWords and online distribution agreements.
A Google spokesperson called the CCI's concerns narrow in a statement. "The Competition Commission of India has confirmed that, on the majority of issues it examined, our conduct complies with Indian competition laws,” the spokesperson said.
The decision was made in the wake of complaints from Matrimony.com and Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) in 2012 alleging that Google is manipulating search results, The CCI charged the search engine with anti-trust conduct and harm to its users and competitors.
In India, the Commission found, that Google through its search design had placed its commercial flight search function at a prominent position on the search results page to the disadvantage of businesses trying to gain market access.
