Google to fight Russian Android anti-trust judgment

Nyet, Google tells Russia's Anti-Monopoly Service

Search giant Google is to contest a Russian anti-trust ruling that would require it to decouple mandated applications from its distribution of the Android mobile operating system.

The ruling would effectively "break" Google's business model for Android, enabling other companies to have their own apps distributed with Android in Russia. Google's decision, published just before the deadline for compliance with the ruling, was revealed in its official Russian blog.

Google was found guilty of violating Russian competition law in October after a complaint was filed by Yandex, Russia's home-grown search service. Russia's Federal Anti-Monopoly Service gave Google until today to change its Android distribution agreements to authorise device manufacturers in Russia to pre-install competitors' applications.

"Yandex is confident in every point of its position. We are ready for the appeal and welcome the most open trial," Yandex said in a statement. It has also complained to the European Union, which is conducting its own anti-trust investigation into Google's activities.

Android is the dominant mobile operating system in Russia, with more than four out of every five phones sold running Google's Linux-based operating system.

While released under an open source licence, meaning that anyone can freely distribute it, Google maintains a tight grip on the eco-system by requiring distributors to licence Google Mobile Services software. Without it, distributors are denied access to popular Google apps and services - in particular, the Google Play store with its one million apps for the Android operating system.

Makers of non-Google-standard Android devices are also banished from the Google-led Open Handset Alliance. Indeed, when Acer partnered with China's Alibaba to make an Android compatible phone, it was threatened with both removal from the Alliance and the right to make and distribute Android phones with Google's services.

Google makes money off the back of Android via both the Play store, as well as the information about users that the operating system generates.