Russia: Google loses second instance appeal

A Russian appeals court has rejected Alphabet’s Google’s appeal in an antimonopoly case, a spokesman for the Russian antitrust watchdog said Wednesday.

Google has been entangled in an antitrust dispute with the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service over its practices of bundling apps for its Android platform. The court’s current decision was largely expected.

Last week, the watchdog fined Google 438 million rubles (about $6.8 million) for abusing its dominant position of its Android mobile-phone operating system.

Earlier this week, the antitrust regulator said FAS and Google have failed to settle the dispute out of court.

The court’s decision isn’t the final step for Google in disputing the charges, the FAS spokesman told The Wall Street Journal. Google may still file a cassation appeal, he said.

A Google Russia spokeswoman said that Google hasn’t yet received the text of the decision. “As soon as we get it, we will study it and determine further steps,” she said.

Another FAS spokeswoman said later Wednesday that Google will have eight days to comply with the watchdog’s original demands after the court has fully issued its ruling. “Otherwise they may get another fine,” she said, without specifying an amount.

Full Content: The Wall Street Journal

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