Yandex has invited the FAS
The competition between Yandex and Google for the Russian web search market is going to a new level. Yandex requests the FAS to consider the fact that the Google-made Android mobile platform forces its services on the makers of smartphones and pads, like Explay, Fly and Prestigio. Should the FAS agree with these arguments, Google may face a fine for the amount equal to 1% to 15% of the turnover in the operation systems market.
Yandex informed yesterday that it had filed a complaint against Google to the FAS. Vladimir Kudriavtsev, Head of the IT Department of the FAS, told Kommersant that the Yandex’s complaint against Google citing the facts of abuse of the mobile operation systems market domination had been received by the antimonopoly authority. According to him, Yandex perceived instances of limitation of competition in the actions of Google, when the American company hindered Explay, Fly and Prestigio from pre-installing Yandex services (maps, search engine). V.Kudriavtsev says that if there are pre-installed services in the smartphone, the user prefers them to the services that require downloading. He says the FAS will also check if the actions by Google have affected the other members of the market.
Yandex informed last year that Explay, Fly and Prestigio had refused to promote its mobile services in 2014 while simultaneously signing agreements with Google, which prohibited pre0installed software of competing manufacturers <...>
Radmila Nikitina, Head of the Antimonopoly Law Group of the Law Firm "YUST", believes: “Barriers are created for Google’s competitors or disadvantageous conditions imposed on the counterparts, who would have otherwise preferred the competitors’ products. Aggressive business practices of Google may be recognized as abuse of the dominating position, in which case a fine for the amount equal to 1% to 15% of the turnover in the operation systems market may be imposed on Google.”
Google does not disclose its proceeds in Russia. According to SPARK-Interfax, the proceeds of its Russian subsidiary Google LLC in 2013 reached 14.7 billion roubles, and profits - 1,49 billion.
Rankings and Partners
