Science & Technology

Google sues South Korean regulator that fined tech giant

Seoul, Feb 9 (EFE).- Google sued South Korea’s regulator to reverse the fine it imposed in September for forcing local phone manufacturers to use its Android operating system, according to news agency Yonhap.

Sources consulted by Yonhap said the lawsuit was filed Jan. 24 to annul the fine of 207.4 billion won ($ 173 million) imposed by the Korea Fair Trade Commission.

The commission said Google distorted free competition by requiring manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics or LG Electronics to sign an agreement to grant licenses for its application store and access to its operating systems.

According to the commission, this prevented them from using modified versions of Google’s operating system on their devices and from developing their own versions of Android.

Google believes its Android compatibility deals have benefited consumers and sparked major innovations and commercial successes for South Korean big tech and OEMs, and that the KFTC’s decision to fine the Californian company ignores all of the above.

Google already appealed the fine from September before the Seoul High Court, which will begin to settle the appeal on Feb. 25.

Last year’s sanction came after South Korea became the first country to legislate against the monopoly held by Google and Apple in downloading mobile applications, forcing developers to have third-party for the two giants to market their products channels in the country. EFE

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