Google’s had its fair share of run-ins with regulators regarding violation of fair competition in various regions including Europe, the UK, and in Russia. Ever since earlier this year when Russian company Yandex, who is largely the biggest competitor to Google in the region, filed a complaint with the FAS (the Federal Antimonopoly Service) Google has been dealing with complaints that they have been using unfair competition practices to bundle their apps with Android smartphones. Now, more than nearly 8 months later after the complaint was filed Russia’s FAS has given Google a deadline to meet the requirements they’ve set forth which includes fixing all the violations they’re being accused of.
FAS state’s that Google has until November 18th to fix each violation which isn’t exactly the most suitable amount of time to get things done as the process could include working with each and every manufacturer to unbundle apps on devices which are sold within the country. According to the Russian regulations, foreign companies aren’t allowed to pre-install applications on devices within the region. A statement from Yandex on the decision of the FAS states they have extensive proof of multiple violations Google has made, based on a collection of documentation provided by both Google and the different manufacturers that Google has worked with to sell Android smartphones in the country amounting to “thousands of pages of evidence.”
Yandex also states that they certainly hope the decisions of the FAS will lead to them in assisting a revival of “fair play” in the market, but that there is a possibility that additional measures may need to be taken unless things change. What those additional measures are and when they could be imposed is unclear and likely won’t be until after the deadline the FAS has set for Google. No matter Google’s decisions in response to the FAS though, Yandex is more than willing to continue its fight against what it feels is unfair competition, stating they are intending to defend their position on the matter should the case result in an appeal at any level. More details on the matter are sure to come to light in the coming weeks ahead, while there is still no word about a response from Google to the FAS ruling.