Google files writ in Delhi HC against CCI alleging confidential report leak
Google has filed a writ petition with the Delhi High Court against
the Competition Commission of India (CCI) following the alleged leak of a
confidential report that relates to the competition regulator’s ongoing
investigation into the dominance of the search engine’s Android operating
system.
On September 18, a confidential interim fact-finding report
submitted by the CCI director
general’s office to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) relating to an
ongoing investigation into Google’s Android smartphone agreements was leaked to
the press, the technology giant has said.
Google has
not yet received or reviewed this confidential report.
The news story being referred to said the DG’s report found the
American search and tech giant “guilty of adopting anti-competitive, unfair and
restrictive trade practices in the mobile operating system and related
markets”.
On Thursday, Google filed the writ
petition seeking redress in this matter, specifically protesting the breach of
confidence, which impairs Google’s ability to defend itself and harms its and
its partners.
“We are deeply concerned that the Director General’s Report, which
contains our confidential information in an ongoing case, was leaked to the
media while in the CCI’s custody. Protecting confidential information is
fundamental to any governmental investigation, and we are pursuing our legal
right to seek redress and prevent any further unlawful disclosures. We
cooperated fully and maintained confidentiality throughout the investigative
process, and we hope and expect the same level of confidentiality from the
institutions we engage with,” said a Google spokesperson.
The DG’s findings do not reflect the final decision of the CCI and the
submission of the report is an interim procedural step. Google has not yet had
the opportunity to review the DG’s findings, much less submit its defence of
any allegations, the firm said in its statement.
The CCI did
not respond to a request for comment.
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