Italian Watchdog Fines Google in Antitrust Case

Italy’s competition watchdog has fined Google 102 million euros ($123 million) for excluding a 3rd-occasion app from its Android Auto in-car assistant. In announcing it had sanctioned Google for abuse of a dominant current market place, the Italian Opposition Authority (Autorita’ Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato) faulted the tech large for not permitting Enel X Italia to create a edition of its JuicePass app for Android Auto.

Like Google Maps, JuicePass allows drivers of electric powered automobiles to locate compatible charging stations.

“By refusing Enel X Italia interoperability with Android Auto, Google has unfairly constrained the opportunities for conclude consumers to avail them selves of the Enel X Italia app when driving and recharging an electric powered auto,” AGCM explained in a news launch.

It also mentioned that Google had “consequently favored its own Google Maps app,” which is “currently constrained to locating and acquiring instructions to attain charging points, but which in the long term could include other functionalities these kinds of as reservation and payment.”

The Italian wonderful is the most up-to-date in a collection of European antitrust enforcement actions against Google. In 2018, the European Union fined the organization $5.1 billion for abusing its electric power in the mobile mobile phone current market. In accordance to AGCM, Google has a dominant place that makes it possible for it to command the accessibility of app builders to conclude consumers, with about a few quarters of smartphones in Italy applying the Android functioning method.

TechCrunch documented that Google “claims the limitations it destinations on apps’ accessibility to Android Auto are needed to make certain drivers are not distracted. It also told us that it has been opening up the platform to more apps above time — with ‘thousands’ now compatible.”

But the Italian regulator explained JuicePass had been excluded from Android Auto for more than two many years and “if it had been to keep on, could forever jeopardize Enel X Italia’s likelihood of setting up a stable person base at a time of important growth in profits of electric powered automobiles. … Google’s conduct could influence the growth of electric powered mobility in a critical stage of its start,” AGCM warned.

Android Auto, antitrust, electric powered automobiles, Enel X Italia, Google, italy, JuicePass