Google India has pledged to the Madras High Court that it will not remove or delist the mobile apps of 16 domestic start-ups and other companies, including Matrimony.com, until August 18. This assurance came after these companies contested Google's new user choice billing (UCB) system for its Playstore on android devices.
The move followed the Court's request for a reply from Google India regarding the batch of appeals filed by the start-ups against a single-judge order that denied them interim relief.
Senior Advocate Sajan Poovayya, representing Google India, stated that a reply detailing the reasons for withholding interim relief from the appellant companies until August 18 will be submitted to the Court.
The dispute arose from Google's updated UCB policy, introduced on April 26, which prompted numerous domestic start-ups, such as Bharat Matrimony, Shaadi.com, Kutumb, and Unacademy, to challenge the policy. The new billing system enables users to choose alternative billing options apart from the Google Play Billing System (GPBS). Although it permits app developers to employ third-party billing systems, it imposes a service fee ranging from 11 to 26 per cent.
The High Court had earlier dismissed 14 out of the 16 petitions filed by these start-ups against Google's new billing system. Justice S Sounthar of the Madras High Court had contended that the matter should be addressed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI), as the remedies available under the Competition Act were more comprehensive than those accessible through a civil court.
However, Google's commitment to not delist the apps until August 18 has provided temporary relief for the start-ups involved in the legal dispute. The Division Bench of the Madras High Court, comprised of Chief Justice S V Gangapurwala and Justice P D Audikesavulu, has set the next hearing date for August 18 to further address the matter.
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