Google reaches out-of-court deal with Russia in Android case

Google reaches out-of-court deal with Russia in Android case

Russian anti-monopoly watchdog FAS and Alphabet Inc’s Google have reached an out-of-court settlement in a dispute over the tech giant’s Android operating system, FAS said on Monday.

Google will no longer demand exclusivity of its applications on Android-based devices in Russia and will not restrict the pre-installation of rival search engines and other applications, Alexei Dotsenko, FAS deputy head, told reporters.

As part of the agreement, Google will also develop a tool allowing users to choose a default search engine on their Android devices.

FAS ruled in 2015 that Google was abusing its dominance by requiring the pre-installation of certain applications on mobile devices using Android, following a complaint by Russia’s Yandex which has struggled to grow its share of the mobile search market.

In August 2016, FAS imposed a 438 million rouble ($7.8 million) fine on Google which the company still has to pay after reaching the settlement, FAS said.

The deal was approved by a Russian court earlier on Monday, Dotsenko said, adding that it was for a term of six years and nine months.

Google confirmed the deal, saying it met the interests of all parties.

Nasdaq-listed shares in Yandex were up around 6 percent in early trade on Monday.

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android Google russia

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