Google may have to face a fine and change the way they distribute Android to device makers in Russia. A court in that country has denied Google's appeal in its anti-trust case against Russia's local search engine Yandex.
Yandex filed a complaint with the country's privacy watchdog, the Federal Antimonopoly Service, in early 2015, claiming that Google had violated Russia's anti-trust laws by requiring the pre-installation of certain applications on devices that used Android. The FAS concluded in September that Google had in fact violated the country's regulations.
According to Reuters:
"Google filed an appeal, but FAS said on Monday the court had fully supported its decision. The company now has to amend its contracts with smartphone manufacturers in order to comply with the ruling, and pay a fine."
There's no word yet on how much Google will be fined by Russia in this case.
Reader comments
Google loses court appeal in Russian Android anti-trust case
Shades of the Microsoft ruling in the US years ago
Not even close. Windows is a close-source Operating System. Android is not. Absolutely nothing is stopping Yandex or some other hardware maker from taking AOSP and putting their own brand on it to sell it.
You'd think that Google would know the right people in Russia to bribe by now.
Posted via the Android Central App
Well it's Russia, you have to bribe ALL the right people , not just a few. Not to mention if they dislike you enough, they'll keep the bribes and fine you anyways. If they really hate you they would block and ban all your products.
Lol, russia...
Posted via the Android Central App
Good. Monopolies (and Google has a virtual monopoly on the smartphone front) are bad for everyone.
EU will be next. Then US will turn a blind eye because Google paid the right senators.
Glad I wasn't the only one who thought this was actually a good thing. If I can someday buy a Nexus and not have to see Play Newsstand preinstalled, I will truly be happy with my purchase.
Posted via the Android Central App
Is it hurting you? Causing internal bleeding? Convulsions? Did it make you split with your wife/ girlfriend? If not, just slap it into a folder and be done with it. Jeesh. You people act like it's a cult trying to snuff you......
Posted via the Android Central App
Yes the bloatwares make me all of this...
Posted via the Android Central App
Thou does internet outrage too much!!
Posted via the Android Central App
Lol
Posted via the Android Central App
If you buy a Nexus, you're buying it from Google, and it will have all of Google's apps, so no change there. At least you can uninstall them. This does, however, pave the way for the Microsoft Android phone folks have been either dreading or wishing for. Currently, to get any of the Google Play services, you need to install all the Google apps as well. Then again, lots of Google Play services tie you to Google advertising stuff. But in order to get the apps, you need Google Play, and if the apps are built against those services... Anyway, Microsoft may still be hard at work crafting replacement services and a replacement app store - so maybe the ruling doesn't change much. It may, however, result in less fragmentation - if the cheap Chinese phones start offering the Play store.
Whatever
Posted via Nexus 6 running on any data plan I want
This sucks. Monopolies aren't illegal, you do know that,right? And just because Yandex can't keep up with the best they have to call on Putin for help.
And then there's Europe, a backwards technophobic continent.
If you can't beat them, sue them, right? Just like goddam Apple.
Posted via the Android Central App
Europe is what?
Wow.
Posted via the Android Central App
Please point out where i claimed monopolies are illegal.
The rest of your drivel deserves no response.
Jerry, to a lot of folks Google can't do anything wrong. Google wanted it all, all the benefits of open without any of the competition to it's business model. Nothing wrong with that if you can get away with it.
There is no monopoly, smartphones are not a necessity.
Posted via Nexus 6 running on any data plan I want
Said the guy with a nexus 6
Posted from my Moto X 2nd gen and my Nexus 9 both on Android Marshmallow
Really?! With that logic, only Air [to breathe] is a necessity and water. Somehow, many would fight regulations to protect them as well.
VZW Moto X DE/N7
Can't use a flip phone? I'm 47 and I somehow survived before smartphones.
Posted via Nexus 6 running on any data plan I want
This is a natural monopoly. The people of Russia are not forced to use Google. Why should one company have to pay for the shortcoming of another's?
I hope I never get this blinded.
Too late Apple troll
Exactly
Monopolies are bad, but Google has no more of a monopoly with the party store requirement than McDonald's has with chicken mcnuggets.
If you want the playstore then you have to have certain apps. If you want want chicken mcnuggets you are going to have to deal with extra value meals, drive thru, and some sweet apple pie!!
Posted via the Android Central App
Nice troll. No sane person could believe that.
How exactly is it a Monopoly for Google to put their products on their phone? They're not keeping Yandex from creating their own Google app and putting it on Android. Or keeping Yandex from writing their own OS and selling it.
It's not their phone and that's the problem.
VZW Moto X DE/N7
As far as I know, the EU never prevented Microsoft from including its applications in Windows. It did require that there be an easy way to switch the default browser - and the default search engine in IE, and Microsoft begrudgingly complied (by making it only as easy as required to comply - which turned out to involve jumping through a few hoops).
Anyway, Android has allowed changing defaults all along. Browser, launcher, etc. Even supports multiple app stores. You may have to switch launchers to get a different default search engine, but still... So, I'm not sure what the 'remedy' here is supposed to be.
Exactly! This is so ludicrous and it angers me more that Jerry is so in favor of this.
Exactly!
Jerry, thank you for realistic views and objectiveness. Many people just blindly worship Google.
VZW Moto X DE/N7
Maybe people are sick of governments picking winners and losers or trying to make everything equal and fair. Can't be done.
Posted via Nexus 6 running on any data plan I want
Just keep fantasizing about functional and sustainable self-regulating free market world. Where people simply figure it out what's "best for everybody" while keeping self interest and greed as their priority - totally non-conflicting, I guess. Civilizations have been there already and nothing to be proud of from human perspective.
VZW Moto X DE/N7
So you would rather have elected (or not) self righteous bureaucrats figuring things out for you instead. Got it.
Posted via Nexus 6 running on any data plan I want
Google has more Lobbyist than Apple and MS combined
So then what about skins and bloatware like Asus, Samsung, LG, etc. give you on the phone that you can't delete. That seems the same or even worse to me, are they going to sue everyone?
I find this really odd.
Isn't Android is an open source project, with all the code available under licences that let manufacturers do whatever the heck the like with it? Pretty sure I could go and download some pretty darned current sources right now (like here: https://source.android.com/)
And it's my understanding that Google only "required" certain apps to be installed if an OEM wants to have some level of certification, or include the Google Play store or related services.
Google might "own" Android, but they're far from having a monopoly over android devices or what's installed on them.
So why is this even a court case? What am I missing?
Google has bundled in many non-required apps in the package that OEMs were forced to use if they wanted the benefit of the very closed part of Android — Google play services.
Play services is a great addition to Android. I think most of us agree on that. This becomes an issue when over 60% of consumers want Yandex as the default search on their devices, while 86% of the devices sold run Android and Google forces their search engine to be the default for all apps and services on devices that want to benefit from Google play services.
But the part that is Google's *is* Google Play Services and the Play Store. Yandex is free to grab AOSP and make their own fork of Android with all of their own services built in, just like Amazon, if they want. Google shouldn't be forced to give over their hard work and the value they've built in Google Play to another company because the other company doesn't want to compete and can get their government to side with them. Google is not being monopolistic in the slightest; Yandex and Russia are clearly blackmailing Google.
Exactly. Jerry has been hitting the vaporizer too hard.
I'm still not seeing the problem here?
Yandex have a bunch of their own apps on the Google Play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/dev?id=9141303443900639327&hl=en
Yandex have their own browser, mail app, keystore, translation service, GPS navigator etc.
Yandex even have their OWN app store for android with a lot of apps I immediately recognise from Google Play, the Apple App store and the Microsoft Store, https://store.yandex.com/
So how are they being prevented from competing?
They can literally build their own Android device with exclusively their own apps, instead of Google's (as Amazon did).
And if the claim is that 60%+ of consumers in the region WANT Yandex instead of Google, then they should have no issue making the business case, either internally or to an interested OEM to build their own Android phones.
The only thing that Google is monopolising is access to their own products and services. I can't see how that can possibly be illegal or anti-competitive.
So users can't set what they want as the default device search because of the way Google locks up default services, and that's a good thing? You're not factoring that people want Yandex as their default. Google is using binding contracts (they were binding anyway) to make sure people can not get what they want.
Hopefully the next version of Android forces you to use Latin when you want to do a voice search, so you can show us all how easy that is to fix. Maybe you can build AOSP yourself, certify devices and insure your new found company so you can compete with Google.
Remember, Google doesn't care about you — just what's in your pocket. That's their job, just like every successful corporation in existence.
EDIT: Replied to wrong comment. Step up one level
Your example of latin-only voice search is just stupid. Please keep the conversation sensible.
Of course users can set whatever search they want on their device, as they should be able too. Even the hardware search action (physical keyboard and long-press on home) can be mapped to another search engine or app http://www.greenbot.com/article/2879150/how-to-change-the-default-search....
And if user's really want phones without Google Play services AT ALL, then they can even do that by:
1) buying phones without Google Play Services, it's not like such phones aren't available!
2) simply disabliing Google Play Services, and install whatever other service and apps they care to.
3) unlocking their phones (if the OEM allows, this has nothing to do with Google) and install an entirely custom operating system
Any operating system, be it phone, PC, tablet, server or gaming console comes with some defaults that allow a user to get up and running without making a thousand subsidiary decisions.
But in my understanding, this isn't a class action, this has nothing to do with what user's want. This is one corporate entity (Yandex) using the courts to force another corporate entity (Google) to decouple some of it's service or products from others, even though users ALREADY have the power to do it.
Even the article statement "requiring the pre-installation of certain applications on devices that used Android." is completely false. Google doesn't "control" Android. Android is an Open Source operating system, built on top of the linux kernel and other Open Source software, and neither Google nor anyone else can require the pre-installation of certain applications on "all Android devices".
Google DOES control Google Play Services, and they do, and should be allowed to, stipulate requirements for users and OEMs making use of those services. Just like your ISP/telco makes stipulations about your internet and phone usage, and most other services place limitations on your use of their services too.
What hasn't been demonstrated, in my opinion, is that Google is somehow preventing users from accessing other services, via their Android phones.
It was an example I was sure someone would get excited over.
It worked.
But it was also a perfectly valid example. Google can do whatever they like, and the solution people like to throw around is that everyone should become a hardware company to compete on the software front.
I'll assume you are also one of those folks who says Google should force Samsung to update phones or they lose license to Google play.
That's not how this works. It will never be how this works. Google will be roped back by the governments of the world, as they should be when they overreach. Even they understand this, and are backing off on GMS requirements.
Posted via the Android Central App
You are off base Jerry.
Thank you for not even attempting to address ANY of the points that I made.
You obviously have some pretty hard-set and stupid preconceptions of anyone who doesn't immediately agree with you.
If you are in the habit of making stupid points to be provocative, in place of having a real discussion, then you're probably not interesting in discussion, and should refrain from posting on discussion boards.
Assuming you are interested in discussion:
- I never said everyone should become a hardware company to compete with Google's software.
- I don't think Google should force Samsung to update their phones.
I think users should vote with their purchasing choices, if TouchWiz is more important than timely updates, people can choose Galaxy phones. If bleeding edge android is more important, then they can buy Nexus, or whatever other type of phone/tablet any company has decided is profitable to produce.
I outlined 3 things that users can do to use Yandex or any other NON-Google provider on their Android phones, none of which Google in any way prevents, and you ignored it, because you are too caught up in being right to stop and read and address what someone else wrote.
If AS YOU CLAIM: 60%+ of Russian Android users want Yandex, instead of Google pre-installed, they can either follow one of the outlined solutions in my previous comment. Or the can petition a hardware manufacturer (or Yandex themselves) to build a Yandex-based phone (either using Android or otherwise).
So, please explain to me, how Google has "exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service". Unless you have some other widely recognised definition of monopoly?
You should know that argument (as reason giving) when you call the other's point "Stupid" multiple times is pretty much over.
VZW Moto X DE/N7
I disagree. If someone makes a stupid point, in the course of a discussion, I think it's absolutely OK to call them on it.
It's not OK to call persons stupid. But letting an intentionally stupid point stand unchallenged, is no more helpful that reactive to it in an inflammatory way. Just as if Jerry said something plainly false, it's OK to call his point false, but it's not OK to call him a liar.
Jerry knows that the point he made was stupid, he did it intentionally to provoke a response. He even admitted as much in his next response. Now Jerry knows that I know his point was stupid, and that he should refrain making stupid points and keep the conversation on topic, if he has any interest in continuing.
Jerry is not stupid, but what Jerry said most certainly was stupid.
Normally I love your musings and gruff attitude, but this is a bunch of trash. It doesn't matter if users want to set defaults or not, they have the choice to not buy an Android, at all.
Companies have the choice to not use Google services, they can choose to go the Amazon Fire route.
If it's good, consumers will buy. If it's not, they won't. This is not monopoly. If you want to use their property (Play Store) they require you to use their services.
If you don't want to, you don't. What you shouldn't be able o do is use a companies IP recognition, then bake your own stuff in, and get mad when you can't, and force the company to change it's IP to suit you. Yandex is perfectly capable of building it's own device, if it's not, then too bad.
There is plenty of choice out there.
Exactly! It's not like everyone is entitled to having an Android phone. If I go to McDonald's, I can't demand they provide me food from Burger King and sue them if they don't because it's anti-competitive. I don't know what Jerry's problem is here, he's just so wrong on this.
Couldn't have said it better!
VZW Moto X DE/N7
If they have a problem with Android phones, then maybe they should buy them?
I think you meant to say shouldn't buy them. Have you ever been into a phone shop and tried to buy an Android phone with AOSP running on it. They are about a rare as rocking horse sh**. The only Android phone I have ever seen on the high street not running Google's services is the Amazon Fire phone and that didn't last long.
Posted via the Android Central App
And that's Google's fault no one else is trying to make their own version of Android?
AS long as the people that buy the phones have a free and honest chance to choose who they want to use. Google will win.
I agree with the ruling. Monopolies are bad for not only other companies but also for consumers
Posted via the Android Central App on my Frost Nexus 6P
There is no monopoly.
Sorry.. I fully disagree with this.. This isn't like the Microsoft deal where Microsoft was telling OEMs that they couldn't license Windows if they put links to other browsers on the desktop.
Google offers open source software that OEMs are free to modify and distribute as they see fit. If the OEM wants to include GPS, there are guidelines that they must follow. OEMs are free to create their own services if the choose to do so.. Can anybody say Amazon?
Providing a superior service that sells does not equal a monopoly. Provide something as good or better if you want to compete.
Someone gets it.
Well, it's Russia. The definition of a monopoly is a loose concept. And they are against the law if they go against a domestic company. Otherwise it's just fair game.
So, we know Jerry's take on this. Can we get the opinions of Phil and the others now? I need to know if everyone else on the team has such misguided opinions.
Google is facing more problems in EU and eventually (late as usual) US
VZW Moto X DE/N7