South Korea’s competition watchdog imposed a fine of 42.1 billion won (about $32 million) on Google on Tuesday. The regulator said Google used its dominant market position to block the sale of computer games on rival platform One Store.
The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) explained that between June 2016 and April 2018, Google reached questionable agreements with game makers, requiring them to offer their products exclusively on Google Play. In return, Google provided certain marketing advantages to the developers. As a result, One Store’s value as a platform declined, and the FTC said Google was able to extend its dominance in the app market.
Google denied the allegations, stating it had not infringed any competition laws. The company said it would decide on further action after receiving the FTC’s ruling in writing. One Store was established in 2016 by three South Korean mobile‑phone providers and South Korea’s…
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