financetom
Business
financetom
/
Business
/
Match, Indian startups call for antitrust probe of Google in-app billing fee
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
Match, Indian startups call for antitrust probe of Google in-app billing fee
Apr 6, 2023 12:42 PM

Tinder-owner Match Group and Indian startups have asked the country’s competition body to investigate Alphabet’s Google for alleged non-compliance with an antitrust directive by charging a high service fee for in-app payments, filings show.

Share Market Live

NSE

The filings by Match and Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF) mark the latest tussle between Google and rival companies, which have repeatedly criticised the U.S. company for what they say are unfair business restrictions.

"Google’s policy change of a charging service fee even on transactions processed by third-party payment processors … has detrimental consequences for users and app developers," the 15-page confidential March complaint by ADIF said.

Google, which declined to comment, has previously said the service fee supports investments in Google Play app store and the Android mobile operating system, ensuring it distributes it for free, and covers developer tools and analytic services.

Also Read: Logicloop named as 2023 Google International growth partner

Details of the ADIF and Match filings, which were reviewed by Reuters on Thursday, have not previously been reported. ADIF, Match and the CCI did not respond to requests for comment.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) in October imposed a $113 million fine on Google and said it must allow the use of third-party billing and stop forcing developers to use its in-app payment system that charges commission of 15 percent-30 percent.

Google later decided to start offering User Choice Billing (UCB) for allowing alternative payments alongside Google’s when purchasing in-app digital content, but the ADIF said in its filing that this new system imposes a "service fee".

"The app developers will have to pay 1 percent-3 percent for alternate payment service providers and 11 percent-26 percent to Google, which makes the entire ecosystem unsustainable," ADIF said.

Match in its March 21 filing asked the CCI to direct Google not to collect or impose any commission or service fee, including via user choice billing, saying the system was "anti-competitive".

Google, which counts India as a major growth market, faces other regulatory challenges, including a setback that forced it to change how it markets its Android system.

In an order in October, the CCI said Google abused its market position and its mandatory imposition of the proprietary payment system limited the scope of payment processors and app developers for technical development and innovation.

Google has challenged this in an Indian tribunal.

ADIF, which represents Indian startups including digital payments firm Paytm and social media app ShareChat, in its March complaint alleged that Google was using the new service fee system to bypass the antitrust directive that ordered it not to impose any "unfair and disproportionate" conditions.

"The policy of UCB is unfair and the same would lead to unjust enrichment to Google," the ADIF filing said.

Also Read: Tinder's new features allow users to specify their pronouns and the kind of relationship they want

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
UTZ Brands' Fiscal Q2 Adjusted Earnings Decline, Net Sales Increase
UTZ Brands' Fiscal Q2 Adjusted Earnings Decline, Net Sales Increase
Jul 31, 2025
10:04 AM EDT, 07/31/2025 (MT Newswires) -- UTZ Brands ( UTZ ) shares were down more than 13% in recent Thursday trading after the company reported fiscal Q2 adjusted earnings of $0.17 per diluted share, compared with $0.19 a year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet expected $0.18. Net sales for the quarter ended June 29 were $366.7 million, up from...
Google agrees $36 million fine for anti-competitive deals with Australia telcos
Google agrees $36 million fine for anti-competitive deals with Australia telcos
Aug 17, 2025
SYDNEY, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Google agreed on Monday to pay a A$55 million ($35.8 million) fine in Australia after the consumer watchdog found it had hurt competition by paying the country's two largest telcos to pre-install its search application on Android phones, excluding rival search engines. The fine extends a bumpy period for the Alphabet-owned internet giant in Australia,...
Peabody Energy Shares Fall After Q2 Swings to Loss
Peabody Energy Shares Fall After Q2 Swings to Loss
Jul 31, 2025
10:03 AM EDT, 07/31/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Peabody Energy ( BTU ) shares were down 1.4% in recent Thursday trading after the company reported a Q2 loss of $0.22 per diluted share, swinging from earnings of $1.43 a year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet expected breakeven earnings. Revenue for the quarter ended June 30 was $890.1 million, down from $1.04...
Schneider National Shares Fall After Trimming Full-Year 2025 Adjusted EPS Outlook
Schneider National Shares Fall After Trimming Full-Year 2025 Adjusted EPS Outlook
Jul 31, 2025
10:04 AM EDT, 07/31/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Schneider National ( SNDR ) shares were down 1.5% in recent Thursday trading after the company trimmed its full-year 2025 adjusted diluted earnings guidance. The company reported Q2 adjusted earnings of $0.21 per diluted share, unchanged from a year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet expected $0.20. Operating revenue for the quarter ended June...
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved