Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has been accused of blocking apps from rivals in the Android app marketplace, which is a multi-billion dollar industry. One such rival is Aptoide, a Portuguese app store. The firm wants legal action against Google and has urged EU regulators to consider the same, according to a report from Giga Om.
Is Google playing unfairly?
Paulo Trezentos, the CEO of Aptoide, has accused Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) of not playing fairly in the mobile app industry and the EU’s competition watchdog has been approached by the company with its grievance.
“We are only asking the Commission to restore fair competition in the market, so we can compete on our own merits,” said Aptoide chiefoperating officer Alvaro Pinto.
A fact that has not been considered by Aptoide while accusing Google is that the small, third-party sites are the source from where the majority of Android malware comes. Fear, uncertainty and doubt generally surround third-party apps. A smart way to prevent malware is being sure of the source of your apps. Apps for sale in the Play Store from Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) are first policed by the company and only when the company is sure they are safe, are they made available for download on the Play Store.
So, wjhile Aptoide’s claims might hold true from the stand point of developers, but in light of customers’ interests, Google might be justified in its policies.
Other investigations
Receipt of the complaint was confirmed by Antoine Colombani, who is the spokesman for the commission, but he chose to refrain from making any furthercomments.
Analysts have valued the App market at around $25 billion, and for Google and its rival Apple, apps are a big business. In the mobile industry, the two largest marketplaces are the Play Store from Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and App Store from Apple.
Google has also been accused of diverting traffic to its search engine by making use of its Smartphone operating system Android according to the complaint lodged by FairSearch, a lobbying group. The merits of this complaint are being weighed by regulators, and this indicates a possibility of another investigation for Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL). Microsoft and Nokia are both members list of FairSearch.
