South Korea To Launch 2 Cases Against Google Over Anti-Competitive Behavior - Reports

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd October, 2020) South Korean competition watchdog announced on Thursday that it will pursue cases against Google over anti-competitive behavior, media reported.

The head of the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) Joh Sung-wook told a parliamentary panel that following ongoing probes into the tech giant, the agency intends to launch two separate suits, South Korea's news agency Yonhap reported.

"The KFTC is currently conducting a probe related to Google's operating system and another on its app store," Joh said. "We will try to wrap up one of the cases by the end of this year."

The first case will focus on allegations that Google obstructed South Korean smartphone manufacturers from installing rival operating systems on their devices.

The second case centers around Google's moves to force all gaming apps on its Play store use its proprietary billing system and claim a 30 percent commission on all purchases.

Joh told the South Korean parliament that such behavior harmed market competition and that Google was capable of such moves only because it had no substantial competition.

The announcement comes days after the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Google on accusations of illegally propping up its market dominance. Earlier in the year, Australia also presented draft legislation targeting Google, as well as Facebook, over undue power over the news business market.