Google, from the South Korean Antitrust Authority fine of 177 million dollars

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September 14, 2021 The South Korean Antitrust Authority, FTC, announced a 207.4 billion won ($ 177 million) fine against Google for

of market

in relation to mobile operating systems for smartphones, tablets and smartwatches.

The fine, the ninth highest the FTC has ever imposed, could be even higher: Kim Min-jeong, a senior FTC official, said the amount is provisional, calculated based on the revenue generated by Google in Korea. South from 2011 to April this year.

Google's operating system holds a large share of the market all over the world as well as in South Korea, a country among other manufacturers of the world's number one-selling smartphone, Samsung.

According to the Antitrust Authority, Google would have prevented smartphone manufacturers, just like Samsung, from using an operating system other than Android.

Joh Sung-wook, president of South Korea's Fair Trade Commission, says Google has been hindering competition since 2011 by forcing its partners to sign "anti-fragmentation" deals.

Thus it would have prevented manufacturers from installing modified versions of Google's operating systems on devices such as smartphones and smartwatches, allowing Mountain View to consolidate its leadership in the mobile software and app markets.