The Fair Trade Commission has entered into sanctions procedures for allegations that Google interfered with competitors in the domestic application (app) market. It has been 2 years and 9 months since the FTC conducted an ex officio investigation on related charges.
The Fair Trade Commission has entered into sanctions procedures for allegations that Google interfered with competitors in the domestic application (app) market. AFP=Yonhap News
According to industry sources on the 25th, the FTC sent Google a review report (prosecutor’s charge) last week on allegations of interfering with the domestic app market such as One Store. Since 2016, the FTC has investigated the behavior that Google has requested to release game apps from domestic game companies such as NC, Nexon, and Netmarble exclusively on the Play Store, Google’s app market.
The FTC believes that Google used its dominance in the app market market to force a domestic game company to launch a game exclusively. The review report included the alleged violation of Google’s Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act (Fair Trade Act), as well as opinions on measures such as imposing fines. An official from the Fair Trade Commission said, “We cannot disclose specific sanction levels, such as the scale of fines.” When Google, which received the review report, responds to its opinion, the FTC will hold a plenary meeting (corresponding to the court’s trial) to determine whether or not to be sanctioned.
The FTC is facing sanctions against Google in several other areas. Currently, the FTC is investigating the illegality of the act of requiring in-app payment (in-app payment) for content distributed in the Play Store by Google and forcing a 30% fee on the payment amount. Earlier in November of last year, Google sent a review report on charges of excluding competitors by forcing mobile phone manufacturers to install Android, their operating system (OS).
Sejong = Reporter Seongbin Lim [email protected]