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The Moscow Times reports that Russian Internet giant Yandex has filed a complaint against Google at the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service, alleging that its rival has an unfair advantage because it insists that Android device manufacturers set Google as the default search engine if they want to bundle Google Play. Google has yet to respond. From the article:
The regulator now has one month to consider the request from Yandex, Russia's top search engine and provider of a range of digital services, such as Yandex.Maps and Yandex.Music, a music streaming service.
Yandex's head of product distribution, Yury Vecher, wrote on news website Slon.ru that the company lodged the complaint after finding it impossible to have its services — which mirror those of Google's, but are often better tailored for the Russian market — installed on Android devices sold in Russia.
Yandex seems to want Google to unbundle Google search and its native apps from Android in the same way that EU regulators had forced Microsoft to unbundle Internet Explorer from Windows. There are also similar antitrust efforts by Microsoft and others concentrating on the EU.
Other coverage of the complaint is available from the BBC, TechCrunch, and Bloomberg.
(Score: 1) by TheRealMike on Friday February 20 2015, @10:19PM
On one hand, yes.
On the other hand, how do you expect Android development to be funded? The traditional way to do this would be for Android to be entirely closed source, require very expensive licenses and STILL have forced Play Store lockin. Probably with no installation outside the store allowed.
Android is given away for free, specifically to help get users onto Google's services. If they can't do that, perhaps the end result is ... no Android at all? Then what will Yandex do? Ask Microsoft to use them on Windows Phone instead of Bing?
(Score: 2) by q.kontinuum on Friday February 20 2015, @11:54PM
Google provides great search- and email-services, and I think they can win the Russian market as well by improving their local offer there. World-wide most handset-producers *want* to install Google Play because it is the biggest market-place available. They *want* to install Google Mail because it integrates well with the market place. Google can make lots of money that way. They do not depend on keeping the Russian market tied in by force. I think Google is losing it by destroying their reputation. They used to convince people by competence, now they are using pure muscle.
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