A source familiar with the situation told Reuters on Tuesday that Walt Disney had petitioned the Madras High Court in India as part of an ongoing legal dispute against Google’s in-app billing scheme.
India’s competition commission opened an investigation into Google in May after several businesses claimed the service fee the American company collects for in-app purchases violates a previous antitrust regulation.
Google, which views India as a significant growth market, has previously stated that the service fee supported investments in the Google Play app store and the Android mobile operating system, ensuring that it was provided without charge, as well as developer tools and analytic services.
However, various companies have alleged that google uses it to create a monopoly. Reportedly, Google had a policy whereby all Android phones flagged a warning message if an app was downloaded on them from any source other than Google Play Store. Companies alleged that with this mechanism, Google deterred users from using any app store other than Google Play Store and then charged exorbitant fees from apps via its digital store.
