Matrimony.com and Google LIC

Abstract

The case was filed by Umar Javeed against Google LLC and other parties before the Competition Commission of India (CCI). The case alleged anti-competitive practices in relation to Google’s AdWords program, which is a platform for online advertising that allows businesses to create and display ads on Google’s search engine results pages and other websites. According to the allegations made by Javeed, the defendants had engaged in fraudulent practices to manipulate the AdWords program and gained unfair advantage over advertisers like himself. Further the informant claimed that the defendants had been using fraudulent means to artificially inflate the cost of advertising on the AdWords platform, resulting in financial losses for advertisers who were forced to pay more than they should have. Furthermore, the OP had engaged in bid rigging, by engaging in “fishing” or “fictitious” bidding, where they had placed false bids on keywords to drive up prices and create the illusion of a competitive market. The DG was directed to conduct the investigation. In November 2019, the CCI had passed an interim order directing Google LLC to deposit INR 1.36 crores (approximately USD 184,000) with the CCI within 60 days. The order was passed to ensure that Google LLC did not gain any undue benefit from continuing its anticompetitive practices during the course of the investigation. The DG conducted further investigation into the matter and submitted a supplementary report to the CCI. Based on the DG report and representations made by parties, the CCI found