Google, which prohibits device manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics from producing devices equipped with Android modified OS (Fork OS), will be fined 27.4 billion won by the Fair Trade Commission.
The Korea Fair Trade Commission said on the 14th that it has decided to impose corrective orders and fines on Google, which forced it to sign a fragmentation agreement (AFA) as a prerequisite while signing a Play Store license contract and an OS pre-access contract, which is essential for device manufacturers.
Google has hindered the entry of competing OSs into the market and hindered innovation. According to AFA, device manufacturers cannot install fork OSs on every device they release, nor can they develop fork OSs themselves.
It also banned the distribution of app development tools (SDK) for forks, completely blocking the possibility of the emergence of an app ecosystem for forks. In addition, there were Samsung Electronics'obstruction of launch of fork OS for smart watches (2013), LG Electronics' obstruction of launch of fork OS for smart speakers (2018), and Amazon's obstruction of entry into fork OS for smart TV (2018-2019).
As a result, Google has been able to further solidify its market dominance in the mobile sector, according to the FTC. The FTC banned device manufacturers from forcing AFA contracts in connection with Play Store licenses and OS pre-access rights. The fine imposed about 27.4 billion won.
The FTC said the penalty could change somewhat if the exact related sales by the deliberation date are confirmed later. In the future, the FTC plans to strictly enforce anti-competitive acts carried out by platform operators that dominate the market to maintain and strengthen their monopoly status without discrimination between domestic and foreign companies.
Reporter Lee Ji-sun stockmk2020@gmail.com
