Moscow court gets new suit from Google against antitrust service

MOSCOW, Nov 29 (PRIME) -- The Moscow Arbitration Court registered on Monday one more lawsuit from Google against the Federal Antimonopoly Service, which earlier found the U.S. company guilty of abusing the dominant position on the mobile application market and fined it, according to the court’s documents.

In the lawsuit submitted on November 25, Google Inc. and Google Ireland Ltd. ask the court to find the respondent’s order, its activity or inactivity illegal. The suit has not been accepted for hearing yet.

Local courts have four disputes of Google with the antitrust service now. The main case, in which the company wants the authority’s decision – accusing it of restricting competition and ordering it to mend violation – voided, will be considered by a cassation court on Thursday. Two lower courts sided with the antimonopoly service.

The Moscow Arbitration Court also has a plea from Google to cancel a 438 million ruble fine imposed by the antimonopoly service and suits from Google Inc. and Google Ireland Ltd., which individually litigate fines of 500,000 rubles for each, slapped for disrespect of the antimonopoly service’s warrant.

The antimonopoly service earlier found Google guilty of abusing its dominant position on the local market of preinstalled application stores and forcing Android device manufacturers to install its Google Play in a tie-up with its other programs. The case was opened upon complaint by local Internet giant Yandex.

Igor Artemyev, head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service, said on November 23 the authority would hit Google with one more fine of 1 million rubles if the company had not mended its breaches by Monday.

(64.9153 rubles – U.S. $1)

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