GovWire

Investigation into suspected anti-competitive conduct by Google

Competition Markets Authority

April 19
09:01 2023

Case Timetable

Date Action
19 April 2023 to 19 May 2023 Commitments consultation period
19 April 2023 Consultation opened on commitments proposed by Google
June 2022 to April 2023 Initial investigation: information gathering, including issue of formal or informal information requests. CMA analysis and review of information gathered.
10 June 2022 Investigation opened

Consultation on commitments

19 April 2023: The CMA published a notice of intention to accept commitments offered by Google and invited representations from interested third parties on the proposed commitments. The CMA will consider any representations made in response to the consultation before making a final decision on whether or not to accept the proposed commitments.

Case Information

On 10 June 2022, the CMA launched an investigation under Chapter II of the Competition Act 1998 into suspected breaches of competition law by Google. The investigation concerns Googles distribution of apps on Android devices in the UK, in particular Google Plays rules which oblige app developers offering digital content to use Google Plays own billing system for in-app purchases.

Notes

  • The investigation is under Chapter II of the Competition Act 1998.
  • The CMA has not reached a view as to whether there is sufficient evidence of an infringement of competition law for it to issue a statement of objections to any party under investigation. Not all cases result in the CMA issuing a statement of objections.
  • The CMA will consider any representations it receives before any decision is taken as to whether competition law has in fact been infringed.
  • Further detail of the CMAs procedures in Competition Act 1998 cases is available in CMA8.
  • Changes to the timing of original entries in the case timetable will be made if the estimated timing changes.

Personal data

The CMA may collect, use and share personal data for its investigations, including investigations under the Competition Act 1998. This includes processing personal data for the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. You can find more information about how the CMA handles personal information in the CMAs Personal Information Charter.

Contacts

Published 10 June 2022
Last updated 19 April 2023 +show all updates
  1. Consultation on commitments published and administrative timetable updated.

  2. Case timetable updated

  3. First published.

Recent Comments

Follow Us on Twitter

Share This


Enjoyed this? Why not share it with others if you've found it useful by using one of the tools below: