Latest news with #STVs
Mint
07-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Google's settlement with CCI over Android TVs: A win-win?
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) recently issued its first settlement order in relation to Google's alleged anti-competitive conduct in the Android TV ecosystem. India had allowed settlement of some competition law cases with the CCI in March 2024. Soon after, Google applied to the CCI to settle its smart TV (STV) case, in which the director general (DG) of investigation had already found evidence to suggest that Google's conduct was abusive. Within a year of the settlement application, the CCI decided to close its proceedings against Google based on a set of behavioural commitments and a settlement amount of ₹ 20.24 crore. Also Read: Why CCI matters for protecting customers from digital players The DG revealed that Google's licensing regime required STV makers to pre-install the complete bundle of Google's apps on their STVs, only two of which were found to be necessary (Android TV Play Store and Play Services). By requiring STV makers to install other apps such as YouTube and Google Assistant, Google reaped revenues not only from its 'must-have' apps, but also from others. Additionally, as a pre-condition to install its proprietary apps, Google restrained STV makers from partnering with rival operating systems or developing such systems by means of Android forks, an open-source option. This restriction applied not only to STVs, but also to other devices sold by STV makers, including smart phones and smart watches. This impeded innovation and reduced consumer choice, as STV companies were restricted to Google's ecosystem. To address these concerns, Google proposed the following commitments to settle the case with the CCI: (i) the introduction of an alternative fee-based licensing regime permitting STV manufacturers to access/ install only the two 'must-have' apps; and (ii) a waiver of the restriction that prevented STV makers from developing Android Forks or partnering with competing operating systems across their device portfolio. Three out of four CCI members found Google's settlement package effective in addressing the competition law concerns identified by the investigation. One member disagreed. His point was that Google's proposal to parallelly continue with its existing anti-competitive licensing regime may not adequately address the problem. The dissenting member has proposed a single regime free of all antitrust issues, instead of the two parallel regimes proposed by Google. Also Read: There's no arguing with the broad thrust of CCI's order on WhatsApp's use of data Although the majority view on Google's settlement proposal may pass muster on grounds of proportionality and practicality, the dissent order cannot be completely disregarded. Since the old licensing regime continues, Google may get several STV makers to opt for (and continue with) the old regime. This could render the new regime's existence a mere compliance formality and diminish the intended effect of the settlement. Effective implementation of behavioural remedies has been a challenge for antitrust authorities worldwide. Even mature jurisdictions, such as the European Union (EU), have struggled to ensure that remedies are implemented in their true spirit and achieve their intended effects. The European Commission recently conducted an 'ex-post evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness of EU antitrust remedies.' It revealed that in over half of all non-cartel cases considered, there was no evidence that remedies were effective, despite implementation. The study highlighted that, unlike structural remedies, behavioural remedies were hard to monitor. Without a robust monitoring mechanism, companies may be able to exploit loopholes to delay or even bypass effective implementation of remedies. In many cases, parties could compromise the spirit of a remedy package whilst formally complying with its letter. There is no doubt that the CCI's remedy packages will also be critically evaluated for their effectiveness. However, the CCI must continue to learn from the best practices emerging from the experience of mature jurisdictions and endeavour to ensure that remedies and their monitoring mechanisms achieve their intended effects to the extent possible. The real carrot that would draw companies to opt for settlements is an opportunity to engage in constructive discussions with the CCI to arrive at remedy packages that could broadly address competition law concerns without disrupting their businesses. There is no such prospect if remedies are imposed by the Commission through contravention orders. In such cases, companies resort to litigation to challenge the commitments imposed. Also Read: Google's ad-tech dominance is easier to fix than its search monopoly Recently, for example, Meta challenged a CCI order in the WhatsApp privacy policy case, claiming that the behavioural commitments imposed by it would lead to a potential collapse of its business model. Indeed, even Google has in the past contested remedies imposed by the CCI in other cases related to its search engine, Android smartphone ecosystem and Google Play Store. The CCI also benefits from settlements. It frees up its limited resources and helps attain procedural efficiency. Since settlement orders cannot be appealed, there seems no better way of bringing finality to CCI orders. A large part of the penalties can be recovered as settlement amounts. This mechanism may also prove crucial for timely redressal of anti-competitive concerns in digital markets, as India's digital competition law is still far from seeing the light of day. The authors are competition lawyers.
Indian Express
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Don't know when I'll see her again': Brother of 72-year-old Pakistani citizen sent back while visiting family in Gujarat
The 70-year-old farmer had met his 72-year-old sister, a Pakistani citizen, after a decade. She was visiting the place that had been her home at Hansot in Gujarat's Bharuch district, with a visa until June 16. Barely a week later, she had to leave India. 'Terrorists attacked tourists at Pahalgam, and we are facing the consequences. We wanted my sister to stay longer. Now, when will she return to our native place? I don't know when I will see her next… Her children have not visited Hansot to date,' rues the brother of the woman who was the first to leave Gujarat after the Union government revoked all visas to Pakistani citizens with effect from April 27. Until the deadline, seven Pakistanis on Short Term Visas (STV) had returned to their country from Gujarat, as per the state government. When she had gathered with her family after dinner to watch the news, they found out about the Government of India's ultimatum. 'We all sat together and discussed and finally came to the conclusion that she should leave the country. She was heartbroken as she had come here after ten years and wanted to spend more time at her native place,' said her brother. The mother of three, who is also a widow, voluntarily approached the Bharuch police before leaving for Karachi. One of her daughters is settled in Canada while her other daughter, a doctor, lives in Karachi, where her son is also based. Her children are all married. Speaking to The Indian Express, her brother said, 'My elder sister was married when she was 20 years old, to a bank manager in Karachi. After ten years, she had come down to Hansot to meet her relatives at our native place. She came through the Attari border and was staying at my home after her arrival on April 16.' 'We packed all her luggage and hired a car, and reached the Hansot police station on the morning of April 24. We talked to the policemen posted there, and they told us to go to the Bharuch District Superintendent's office and inform them. We reached the Bharuch District Superintendent's office and talked to the police officials there, got my sister's name entered in a government register, and left for the Attari-Wagah border on Friday (April 25). My nephews took her in the car from Hansot to Attari; there were no policemen with them. After reaching the Attari border, she cleared immigration and crossed the border. Her daughter came to pick her up at the Attari border from the Pakistan side. She reached home on Saturday. She called us and told us that she had reached safely,' he said. On April 22, 26 tourists were killed by terrorists in Kashmir's Pahalgam, the day after which the Centre announced the move among other measures. State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi had told this newspaper, 'All seven people who were in Gujarat on STVs had left Gujarat and were deported back to Pakistan before their visas ended. These seven people were in Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Bharuch. The majority of them are from Ahmedabad.'
Indian Express
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
33 of them left in last three days, 389 Pakistan nationals on short-term visas yet to leave Ahmedabad
At least 389 people from Pakistan visiting Ahmedabad city on a Short Term Visa (STV) are required to cross over the international border by April 27 or 29, depending on whether they had come on a visitor's visa or a medical visa. This comes as part of the Centre's first round of diplomatic actions taken against Pakistan in light of Tuesday's terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which took the lives of 26 people, including three residents of Gujarat. Police said that in the last three days, 33 people with STVs have returned to Pakistan. There are broadly three categories of Indian visas issued to Pakistan nationals: SAARC visa, Long Term Visa (LTV) and STVs. A statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday stated, 'In continuation of the decisions made by the Cabinet Committee on Security in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, the Government of India has decided to suspend visa services to Pakistani nationals with immediate effect.' On the decision, it stated, 'All existing valid visas issued by India to Pakistani nationals stand revoked with effect from 27 April 2025. Medical visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be valid only till 29 April 2025.' A further clarification on the validity of LTV said, 'It is hereby clarified that the revocation of visas specified in the above decision does not apply to the Long Term Visas (LTVs) already issued to Hindu Pakistani nationals, which remain valid.' Additional Commissioner of Police ( Ahmedabad City, Vidhi Chaudhary said, 'In the last three days alone, 33 people with STVs have returned to Pakistan, leaving a total of 389 such people in the city as of April 25. Of these, five are from the religious majority community in Pakistan while 384 are from its religious minorities.' Notably, there are in excess of 4,000 Pakistan nationals in Ahmedabad city on LTVs. But no call has been taken on their status at the moment. There is also nobody on a SAARC visa in Ahmedabad city. In Rajkot city, DCP Parthrajsinh Gohil said that while there is nobody on a SAARC visa, there is only one person on STV who is from a religious minority in Pakistan. He is headed for the UK in the next couple of days. There are 752 Pakistan nationals on LTV in Rajkot city. Meanwhile, police officials in Surat City and Vadodara city, speaking only about the religious majority community of Pakistan, said there were no such foreigners on STVs there. They did not share information about the number of Pakistan nationals with STVs who were still in these major cities. In the Panchmahal district, where the local courts see a high volume of cases of Pakistan nationals overstaying their STVs, police officials stated that no one of the neighbouring country's religious majority was in the district at present. Meanwhile, speaking on foreigners of the majority religion in Pakistan currently in Gujarat on STVs, Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi told The Indian Express, 'Acting on the guidelines of the Government of India, we have identified seven Pakistan nationals who are in Gujarat on STV. We have started the procedure of sending them back to their country. Today, a woman had been deported to Pakistan from Gujarat and we came to know that she had reached her country. We are making attempts to send the remaining to Pakistan in the next few days.' The woman had come to Gujarat's Bharuch earlier this month.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Pakistani Hindu woman may lose son on short-term visa
JAISALMER: Radha Bheel, a 27-year-old Pakistani national living near Jaisalmer, is faced with the prospect of being separated from her toddler son just days after their emotional reunion. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now And the cause of her despair is India's decision to revoke Pakistani visas with immediate effect in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, with all Pakistani nationals ordered to return to their country by April 27. Radha's plight is shared by many Pakistani Hindu families in Rajasthan who are on short term visas (STVs). In Jaisalmer alone, a pall of gloom has descended over 1,200 Pakistani citizens on STVs. As for those on long term visas (LTVs), ASP (CID) Narpat Singh, who's also the Foreign Regional Registration Officer (FRRO), said his office is awaiting orders from home ministry and assured that long-term visa holders need not be concerned for now. Radha, her husband Raju Ram (30), and their two daughters, aged 8 and 7, arrived in India on an LTV in Feb 2023. However, the couple's son, Ghanshyam, who was then less than two months old, was denied a visa, as were Raju Ram's parents. It took two years for Ghanshyam and his grandparents to finally arrive in India on an STV on April 6. "I waited for two years to hold my baby but will have to bear parting with him once again," she told TOI, tears streaming down her face. In Jaisalmer, Dilip Singh Sodha, a refugee who fled Pakistan to escape religious persecution, said, "You may as well shoot us here. If we die here, at least our ashes will be scattered in Haridwar."
