The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) may rule that technology giant Google violated the country’s antitrust laws. According to Nikkei Asia, the JFTC is expected to send a “cease and desist” letter to the company in this regard. The Commission launched an investigation into Google and its applications last October.
One of the JFTC’s main claims concerns the contractual terms that Google imposes on smartphone manufacturers. According to these conditions, manufacturers are forced not only to pre-install the Chrome browser on their devices, but also to place the browser at a certain point on the screen. It is also claimed that manufacturers who want to integrate Google Play services into their devices must accept these conditions.
These allegations are in line with similar accusations that Google has faced globally. The company has previously faced antitrust allegations in different countries.
Google is under great pressure in the US
In November, federal judge Amit Mehta in the USA ruled that Google was a “monopolist” in the search engine industry. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) demanded that Google sell the Chrome browser and end privileged applications for Chrome on the Android platform. The Ministry believes that this step will “permanently halt Google’s control of this critical search access point” and make it easier for other search engines to access the internet browser.
Although Google has submitted a new proposal against this decision, it is objecting to the judge’s decision and waiting for the hearing to be held in April.
This development in Japan has added a new one to the legal difficulties Google faces globally. Allegations that the company violated antitrust laws were also brought to the agenda in regions such as the European Union and India.
On the other hand, it is wondered what kind of defense strategy Google will follow in such cases. Criminal sanctions that the company may face in important markets such as Japan have the potential to affect its global operations.