A division bench of the Madras High Court has dismissed the appeals of several Indian startups that challenged Google’s app billing policy. However, the court has provided interim relief by instructing Google not to remove the startups’ mobile applications from the Play Store for three weeks. The official order is expected to be released on Monday.
The Madras High Court previously dismissed petitions filed by companies such as Bharat Matrimony, Shaadi.com, and Unacademy against Google’s in-app billing policy in August 2023. At that time, the court stated that the issue fell under the jurisdiction of the Competition Commission of India (CCI). This decision has been upheld in the recent verdict.
The interim order granted in August was in response to a plea filed by Matrimony.com. The company sought relief from being delisted from the Play Store due to their non-compliance with Google’s policy.
In October 2022, the antitrust regulator imposed a fine of Rs 936 crore on Google and instructed the company not to restrict app developers from using third-party billing services.
While the dismissal of the appeals may come as a blow to the Indian startups, the temporary injunction preventing the removal of their apps provides some respite in the ongoing battle against Google’s app billing policy.
The impact of this decision extends beyond the individual companies involved, highlighting the larger issue of app store policies and their influence on the startup ecosystem. The court’s acknowledgment that this matter falls within the purview of the CCI signifies the importance of considering competition regulations in the digital market.
Both Indian startups and tech giants like Google will continue to closely monitor the formal order, which is expected to shed more light on the court’s rationale behind the verdict. AH
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