Google has been given an added extension to submit a formal reply to antitrust charges filed by the European Union against Android OS. Google was granted another time extension as it scrambles to submit a response to allegations of the EU that its mobile operating system violated certain provisions of its fair competition laws.
According to Tech Crunch, the search giant was originally given until July 27 when the complaint was filed in April. The deadline was extended to Sept 7 as requested by Google and now after another plea, has been given until Sept 20 to make their formal stand. A European Commission spokesperson said it will be the last Google gets.
The same post detailed the complaints the EC stated in its charges against Android. Google allegedly forces manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and Chrome as part of the requirements to license apps.
In addition, the company was also charged with preventing manufacturers from selling mobile devices that are using competitor OS based on Android, which is well known for its open source code. The search engine behemoth was also accused of dangling monetary incentives to makers and mobile network companies who exclusively use Google Search on devices they sell.
It is not the first time Google faced such charges as earlier this year it lost a similar case in Russia when local competitors complained Google was trying to hold them hostage over the use of its Android OS.
Meanwhile, Fortune also reported on the extension granted to Google and touched on the charges filed against one of the biggest companies in the world. The company is also accused of blocking its rivals in online search advertising.
If the charges are proven to be true, Google is facing a hefty fine of $7.4 billion or the equivalent of 10 percent of its earnings worldwide.