Google Faces Fresh Antitrust Complaint in Europe
Portuguese App Store Files European Commission Complaint Over Android — BRUSSELS— Google Inc. is facing fresh accusations of anticompetitive behavior in Europe over its Android operating system for mobile phones, even as the Web giant struggles …
Context & Ripple Effects
A 2013 complaint over Android in Europe had already put Google's mobile platform on the competition agenda. The Portuguese App Store's filing adds another complainant as Android's sales share was reported to be rising across major markets in late 2013.
First-order effects
- The European Commission has another Android-related complaint to assess, while Google faces a fresh formal allegation of anticompetitive conduct from the Portuguese App Store.
Second-order effects
- The filing increases the regulatory exposure around Android distribution for Google and gives other app-distribution businesses a concrete European complaint through which to frame similar concerns.
Third-order effects
- If repeated complaints prompt closer examination, mobile operating systems' control over app distribution may become a central competition issue rather than a dispute limited to any single app store.
The trend: As Android expands across smartphone markets, competition scrutiny is shifting toward the platform's role as a gatekeeper for mobile software distribution.