Google Hit With $177 Million Fine In South Korea For Abusing Their Smartphone Dominance

One of the issues within the early days of Android, which to a sure extent remains to be considerably of a problem right this moment, is the varied forks and customizations handset makers have made to Android. This implies that the expertise throughout gadgets may differ enormously, which in flip may additionally hamper the roll out of Android updates.

To resolve this downside, Google tried to restrict the variety of forks accessible by coming to agreements with handset makers, however now it seems like the corporate is being punished for his or her efforts. This is in keeping with the South Korean Fair Trade Commission who slapped Google with a whopping $177 million advantageous for abusing their smartphone dominance.

Apparently plainly the measures Google took to chop down on the variety of Android forks was a bit an excessive amount of for the watchdog’s style. Apparently one of many methods Google ensured handset producers agreed to their guidelines was that they is likely to be restricted from utilizing Google’s apps in the event that they refused.

According to KFTC Chairperson Joh Sung-wook, “The Fair Trade Commission’s action was not limited to mobile devices, but corrective measures included emerging smart device-related areas such as smart watches and smart TVs. Therefore, we expect that new innovations will occur as some competitive pressures in this area are activated.”

Google is now anticipated to now not be allowed to drive producers to signal such agreements, and that present contracts must be modified to verify they fall according to the ruling.

Filed in Cellphones. Read extra about Android, Google and Legal. Source: bloomberg