CCI Investigates Google Over Alleged Discriminatory Practices Against WinZO

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has started an investigation into Google after a famous gaming platform called WinZO said the company was acting unfairly. This is a big change. Google is accused of discrimination for limiting WinZO's ads but allowing ads from other gaming platforms like Zupee and MPL, according to the lawsuit. WinZO says that these steps have made it less visible, which is unfairly slowing its growth in the competitive market for online games.

At the heart of the lawsuit is the claim that Google only let ads from competing platforms show up on its own platform, while blocking or limiting WinZO's ads. WinZO says that this has made it harder for it to reach possible users, which has hurt its market access in the long run. WinZO thinks that these kinds of actions are against India's competition rules because they make the playing field less level.

In its response, the CCI said that these claims raise major concerns about whether Google's policies are being applied in a fair or biassed way. The CCI specifically said that Google's activities might be against several parts of the Competition Act, 2002. The act says that unfair business practices are not allowed, and the CCI will be looking into whether Google's actions have hurt competition in the game market.

The commission pointed out that Google's rules against advertising on real-money gaming sites, which don't apply to fantasy sports and rummy, might be against Section 4(2)(b) of the Competition Act, which deals with market access restrictions. The commission also thinks Google might be breaking Section 4(2)(c), which says companies can't keep people from getting important market exposure.

A first look by the CCI suggests that Google's actions may indeed break several laws. This makes people wonder if Google is being fair to its rivals in the online gaming industry. Section 4(2)(a)(i) of the Competition Act, which says that unfair market conditions are not allowed, could be very important to this case. If these claims turn out to be true, Google could be in for a lot of trouble.

When the complaint was made, the Commission quickly responded by telling the Director General to do a full probe. The main goals of the investigation are to find more proof and figure out how Google's actions might have affected competition in the Indian gaming business. The Director General has 60 days to give the CCI a full report on the situation. This will help them make an informed choice about the case.

This investigation is yet another sign that India is paying more attention to big tech businesses. In the past few years, government regulators have worked harder to make sure that big companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook don't abuse their market power to hurt customers or stifle growth.

While the investigation is still going on, all eyes will be on the results because they could have a big effect on the future of WinZO and other game platforms. If the claims are true, Google might have to rethink its rules on advertising and market access. This could change how India's growing online gaming business works.

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