Well, Yandex, a major search engine competitor of Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) from Russia surely thinks so!
The company has just filed an official complaint against Google stating the company is monopolizing competition with its Android OS and as a result of which competitors such as Yandex are being deprived of their right to equal representation in the market.
According to the complaint report, it has been alleged by Yandex that Google has put up certain restrictions on the Android OS to discourage users from using software developed by third party developers, stating the pre-installed Google software on the Android OS as the biggest blow on the use of third party apps in the mobile operating system.
The Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) is on the case, according to an FAS spokeswoman. In an official statement released by the FAS, it was revealed that the service had studied the entire complaint to assess its weight in the light of regulation, and decided to further investigate based on a few logical premise taken from its initial screening of the complaint.
However, Google has denied any part in its alleged monopolization of the Android OS industry. According to a company spokesperson, speaking on behalf of Google, Android OS does not/cannot force any single user from using any app that he or she wishes to use on any Android-running device. It was also asserted in this official statement that pre-installed apps are chosen at will by device manufacturers, and not by Google, contrary to the claim being made in the complaint filed by Yandex.
But Yandex may have some ground for its complaint against Google after all. According to reports, Google Android blocked three of the major smartphone vendors operating in the country last year (namely Explay, Fly, and Prestige) from modifying the pre-installed services to change from those being offered by Google to those being offered by Yandex.
And this finds its legal premise in the terms and conditions that accompany the Android OS. According to analysts, it is embedded in the terms and conditions of the mobile operating system that third party manufacturers of smartphones not be allowed to install certain pre-installed apps on the OS before selling it to consumers. These apps include all those Google services which come pre-installed on all Android smartphones and devices.
Yandex has a majority share in the Russian market of search engines, working with over 60% of the market. The company is in tough competition with Google in the market, competing strictly with Google services such as Gmail, Youtube, Translate, Maps, and Google Chrome.
If proven true, this would mean Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has been exercising anti-competitive behavior in Russia with Yandex, which could lead to legal proceedings resulting in lawsuits amounting to millions of dollars.
However, cases like these have surfaced numerous times before in the US against Google regarding similar notions, all of which have been dropped by courts due to insufficient evidence to further the claim being made. The Russian service has sent in questionnaires to mobile makers to gather up evidence, but if it returns in favor of Google, the case would be dropped sooner than later.
