Page 15 - Cci

CCI probing Google, Apple for alleged unfair biz practices: Chairperson

Competition Commission of India (CCI) is probing Google and Apple for alleged unfair business practices, the regulator's Chairperson Ravneet Kaur said on Tuesday. The watchdog had ordered detailed investigations against Google with respect to its alleged abuse of dominance in the smart television segment and in the news content space. Speaking to reporters here, Kaur said the matter related to Google and smart television is under the commission's inquiry. Currently, the investigation is on in the matter of the news publishers' complaint against Google, she said. To another query, Kaur said that Apple is also under investigation. "Once we receive the report from the DG, (and) CCI, we will take action," she added. The regulator had ordered an investigation against Apple for alleged anti-competitive practices with respect to its App Store. The Director General (DG) is the investigation arm of the CCI. Cases where the regulator finds prima facie evidence of anti-competitive practice

SC to hear Google's appeal against CCI penalty of Rs 1,338 crore in Jan

The hearing was initially scheduled for 11 October but was postponed to January due to Constitution bench hearings

InGovern flags concerns with FinMin about Flipkart hiring ex-CCI Officer

InGovern suggests that the integrity of the ongoing CCI probes into e-commerce behemoths Flipkart-Walmart and Amazon is questionable

GST Council meet on Oct 7, may review progress in anti-profiteering cases

Zero cases disposed of in Q1 after NAA gets subsumed into CCI

Trade regulator CCI gives nod to deal involving Lanco Amarkantak Power

Fair trade regulator CCI on Tuesday granted approval for the acquisition of Lanco Amarkantak Power by PFC Projects, REC, SJVN and Damodar Valley Corporation. PFC Projects, which is into electricity generation and distribution, and REC, which is a non-banking financial company, are subsidiaries of Power Finance Corporation (PFC). SJVN is mainly into hydroelectric power generation while DVC is a statutory corporation. The latter is engaged in the businesses of power generation, transmission, and water management. The proposed combination relates to acquisition of 100 per cent shareholding of Lanco Amarkantak Power by PFC Projects, REC, SJVN and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), according to an official release. Lanco Amarkantak Power Ltd is into power generation. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) said it has approved the proposed deal. Deals beyond a certain threshold require approval from the regulator, which keeps a tab on unfair business practices and promotes fair ...

CCI clears Carlsberg's acquisition of additional 33.33% stake in CSAPL

Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Tuesday cleared Carlsberg Breweries' proposed acquisition of an additional 33.33 per cent stake in Carlsberg South Asia Pte Ltd. The deal has been cleared under the green channel route. The proposed transaction entails Carlsberg Breweries A/S (CBAS) buying an additional 33.33 per cent of equity share capital (on a fully-diluted basis) in Carlsberg South Asia Pte Ltd (CSAPL). CBAS is involved in the business of manufacturing, marketing, and distributing alcoholic beverages under numerous brands worldwide. The company is present through Carlsberg India Pvt Ltd (CIPL) and does not have any other direct or indirect business presence in the country. CSAPL is the holding company of South Asian Breweries Pte Ltd, Singapore, which, in turn, is the holding company of CIPL. "There are no horizontal overlaps, vertical/complementary links between the activities of the parties and their respective groups/affiliates," CCI said. "The proposed transactio

NCLAT to start hearing Google plea against CCI penalty from Nov 28

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) will on November 28 begin hearing Google's plea against CCI imposing Rs 936.44 crore penalty on the tech giant for abusing its dominant position with respect to Play Store policies. This comes after one of its judicial members, Justice Rakesh Kumar, recused himself from hearing the plea on April 17. The matter was listed on Monday before an NCLAT bench comprising Chairman Justice Ashok Bhushan and Alok Srivastava, which directed the parties, including the contesting startups and Competition Commission of India to file their replies within four weeks. It also gave two weeks time to Google for filing rejoinder, if any. The appellate tribunal has directed to list the matter on November 28 for hearing. On April 17 this year, an NCLAT bench comprising Justice Rakesh Kumar and Alok Srivastava had ordered Google's appeal to be listed before another bench of which Justice Kumar was not a party. On October 25, 2022, CCI slapped a penalty

NCLAT to hear Google's appeal against Rs 936 crore penalty from Nov 28

The appellate tribunal has asked the parties in the case to submit their responses within four weeks

CCI clears acquisition of 11% of TVS Credit Services by Premji Invest

Fair trade regulator CCI on Wednesday said it has cleared the proposed acquisition of about 11 per cent stake in TVS Credit Services Ltd by PI Opportunities Fund-I Scheme-II (PIOF-II) and certain individuals. PI Opportunities Fund-I Scheme-II, is a Sebi-registered Alternative Investment Fund (AIF), owned and controlled by Premji Invest Ltd. "The combination relates to the proposed acquisition of 10.98 per cent stake of target (TVS Credit Services) by the acquirers," an official release said. "PIOF-II shall be acquiring about 10.79 per cent of shareholding in the TVS Credit (target), whereas the individual acquirers shall collectively be acquiring 0.19 per cent shareholding," it stated. The individual acquirers are senior-level management employees, partners, consultants of Premji Invest and its affiliates. TVS Credit Services Ltd is a non-banking financial company. In a separate release, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the proposed acquisition of additional uni

Pernod Ricard faces India antitrust probe for boosting market share

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has been pursuing the matter actively since early this year after senior members reviewed the case filed by Pernod's Indian rival, Radico Khaitan

25% pre-privatisation court cases by customers amicably resolved: Air India

Some cases dated back more than 15 years, says CEO Campbell Wilson in message to employees

CCI issues draft norms on combinations under amended competition law

Fair trade regulator CCI has issued draft rules pertaining to value of transactions for combinations under the new competition law. Earlier this year, various provisions of the Competition Act were amended. As per the draft norms issued by the Competition Commission of India (CCI), the value of transaction shall include "every valuable consideration, whether direct or indirect, immediate or deferred, cash or otherwise". These could also be in the form of covenant, undertaking, obligations or restrictions imposed on seller or any other person, other than acquirer, in the nature of non-competition or otherwise. It could also be for arrangements that are made as part of the transaction within two years from the date when the transaction is set to come into effect. These arrangements can cover a wide range of elements such as technology assistance, licensing of intellectual property rights, usage rights to any product, service or facility, supply of raw materials or finished goods, ..

Cipla, Torrent may need to divest 15 brands in buyout deal: Bernstein

Torrent has a strong presence in gastrointestinal, neurology, and cardiac segments

CCI approves Air India-Vistara merger, subject to certain conditions

CCI has not issued an order on this matter yet. As per official sources, it is expected to issue an order after one month

Competition Comm issues draft regulations for settlement provisions

Fair trade regulator CCI on Wednesday issued the draft regulations for commitment and settlement provisions under the competition law. The provisions, introduced in the Competition Act through the amendments made earlier this year, are aimed at ensuring quicker market correction, according to the Competition Commission of India (CCI). Stakeholders can submit their comments on the draft regulations from August 24 to September 13, according to communications issued by the regulator. A commitment application should be filed within 45 days from the receipt of CCI order on investigation. In the case of a settlement application, the same has to be filed within 45 days f receiving the Director General's report. For both, commitment and settlement applications, the 45-day period could be extended if CCI is satisfied that there is a sufficient cause for extension. "The settlement amount may extend up to the maximum amount of penalty that would have otherwise been leviable under section 27

CCI clears Tata Motors off charges of anti-competitive practices in 2 cases

In the 2020 case, TML dealer Kanchan Motors of Nashik made similar allegations that TML coerced dealers in various ways

CCI slaps Rs 40 lakh fine on Axis Bank over acquisition of stake in CSC

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has slapped a fine of Rs 40 lakh on Axis Bank for failing to notify the regulator about its acquisition of a stake in CSC e-Governance. The transaction under consideration comprised acquisition of a 9.91 per cent stake in CSC e-Governance by Axis Bank and got completed in November 2020, the CCI said in an order. For the transaction, Axis Bank was required to give notice to the fair trade regulator. However, it failed to do so, according to the order. "It is apparent that the acquisition of stake in CSC e-Governance by Axis Bank was neither solely as an investment nor can be considered to be in ordinary course of business. "Therefore, the AxisCSC e-Governance acquisition is not eligible for the benefit of the Item 1 of Schedule I (combination regulation) and accordingly, it is immaterial whether the transaction led to acquisition of control or not," the regulator said. Thus, CCI observed that no determination is warranted whether the ...

NCLAT set aside CUTS' petition seeking CCI probe in PVR INOX merger

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on Thursday dismissed a plea seeking an investigation by the fair trade regulator CCI over the merger of two leading multiplex operators PVR and INOX. NCLAT rejected the petition by Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) observing that the fair trade regulator has rightly observed that even if the merger is concluded, their dominance in the film exhibition industry per se is not anti-competitive. CUTS had challenged an order by the Competition Commission of India which rejected its plea on September 13, 2022, for seeking an investigation into the merger. However, during the pendency of the appeal the Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), approved the merger on February 16, 2023, sanctioned the scheme of merger by absorption of the Inox with PVR. In its petition CUTS said transaction is exempted from the notification requirement under Section 5 of the Competition Act as it qualifies for the de minimus ...

CCI clears proposed acquisition of HDFC Credila Financial Services

Anti-trust regulator CCI on Tuesday cleared the proposed purchase of 90 per cent equity stake in HDFC Credila Financial Services by a private equity consortium of BPEA EQT and ChrysCapital. The buyers are Kopvoorn, part of the BPEA EQT group, and three ChrysCapital group entities -- Moss Investments, Infinity Partners and Defati Investments Holding. The proposed combination pertains to the acquisition by the acquirers of equity shares comprising about 90 per cent of the shareholding and voting rights of HDFC Credila, according to an official release. HDFC Credila Financial Services (HDFC Credila) is a Reserve Bank of India-registered non-banking financial company (NBFC) engaging in the business of providing retail education loans. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) said it has approved the proposed deal. In June, HDFC Ltd, HDFC Bank and HDFC Credila announced that they have entered into definitive agreements to sell a majority stake in HDFC Credila to a private equity ...

Android case: SC to decide Google-CCI appeals against NCLAT on Oct 10

NCLAT had, on March 29, upheld Rs 1,337.76 cr penalty on tech giant for misusing its dominant position in Android mobile device ecosystem; CJI-led bench asks all parties to file submissions by Oct 3