HC Dismisses Startups Petitions Against Google Billing Policy

The Madras High Court has reportedly dismissed 14 of the 16 pleas against Google's app billing policy filed by the Indian startups, according to media reports on Friday.

The court ruled the matter as it fell under the jurisdiction of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), the report said additionally.

Responding to the matter by startups, audiobook platform Pratilipi, Bharat Matrimony and ed-tech platform Unacademy the high court said, the antitrust watchdog’s decision will be binding upon all parties.

Furthermore, the report underlined that the appeals filed by Disney+ Hotstar and edtech platform Testbook are yet to be decided upon.

It said according to Ajay Data, secretary general of the Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF), the industry body will appeal the high court’s decision to its division bench.

Meanwhile, the Startups who filed petitions against Google have also confirmed to appeal the verdict, as per the report.

All the startups had filed a plaint against Google’s new play billing policy in April this year. They stated the company's actions are against the Payments and Settlements Act and Contracts Law.