Russia agency alleges Google of violating competition law

Anti Monopoly Agency in Russia has alleged that search engine giant Google is misusing its market position in the country. The agency added that the search engine might have to face a penalty if it is launched by the local competitor Yandex.

According to FAS the anti-monopoly body, Google has pre-installed some applications on the mobile devices and that it can face penalties if it totals to 15% of its 2014 revenue in this part of the Russian market. However the agency did not comment on the revenue in question saying that it was a trade secret but said that it will decide on the basis of the exact penalty after September 28, 2015.
The agency added that Google must pay and change its way or risk more fines if it continues to violate rules. Russian Google said that it will analyse the decision and refused to make any further comments. Yandex is a competitor in Russia to Google. Complaint was filed by Yandex against Google with the FAS in February, 2015.
It is noticed that Yandex is ahead of Google in Russia but is still considered as a competition in mobiles phones as the consumers adopt Android based handsets that come pre-loaded with Google products.

Photo Credits: IB Times