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India’s antitrust body orders Google inquiry after news publishers complain -Breaking

by Mike Robinson

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© Reuters. FILE PHOTO – The entrance of the Google office in London is depicted with the Google logo on January 18, 2019, REUTERS/Hannah McKay

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s competition watchdog has ordered an investigation of Alphabet Inc’s Google (NASDAQ:) Inc following claims from news media. It stated that its initial assessment was that Alphabet had broken antitrust laws.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI), which made the order, stated that Google has dominance over certain search engines in India and could have placed unfair conditions upon news media.

Google has not yet responded to the request for comment.

Digital News Publishers Association (the complainant), which includes the digital arms some of India’s largest media companies, claimed that Google refused fair advertising revenue.

The CCI order stated that “in a functioning democracy, the crucial role played by news media can not be diminished.” It appears Google uses its dominance in relevant markets to protect and enter the news aggregation market.

Online aggregators like Google have lost advertising revenue from news organisations for many years. They have long complained about tech companies using search results and other features to tell stories without paying them.

CCI ordered also new rules for Australia and France, which were fueled by media lobbying. These have helped to secure licensing deals worldwide that total billions.

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