Google began removing some apps from its Play Store in India citing non-payment of service fees.
“For an extended period of time, 10 companies, including many well-established ones, have chosen to not pay for the immense value they receive on Google Play by securing interim protections from court. These developers comply with payment policies of other app stores,” it said ahead of removing the apps of 10 companies from the platform.
The action comes amid an ongoing dispute between Google and start-ups over the tech major imposing a fee of 11-26 per cent on in-app payments after the Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered scrapping of an earlier system of charging 15-30 per cent.
While the matter is being fought in the Supreme Court, the top court did not provide interim relief to the companies.
While Google did not name the 10 firms, it is learnt that some matrimonial apps such as Shaadi, Matrimony.com and Bharat Matrimony, Balaji Telefilms’ Altt (formerly ALTBalaji), audio platform Kuku FM, dating service Quack Quack, Truly Madly were removed from the Play Store.
Bharat Matrimony founder Murugavel Janakiraman said that Google’s move is a “dark day” for the Internet in India, while Kuku FM co-founder Vinod Kumar Meena said in a statement that Google was behaving like a ‘monopoly’. QuackQuack founder Ravi Mittal said the company would comply with rules to get back on the marketplace.
A PTI report said that Google previously sent notices to Matrimony.com, which runs the app BharatMatrimony, and Info Edge, which runs a similar app, Jeevansathi.
