According to a report from news agency Reuters, the Indian division of the tech behemoth Google is contemplating the removal of certain apps from its Play Store platform in India due to the failure of specific companies to comply with the payment terms for utilizing the app store service.
Among the entities reportedly at risk of having their apps removed are notable names like Matrimony.com, which operates BharatMatrimony, and Info Edge, the proprietor of a similar app, Jeevansathi.
Sanjeev Bikhchandani, the founder of Info Edge, acknowledged receiving a notice from Google and asserted the company's adherence to Play Store policies, stating that all invoices from Google have been promptly settled.
While Matrimony.com has not officially commented on the matter, sources cited in the report suggest its inclusion among the affected companies.
Following the revelation, shares of Matrimony.com experienced a decline of 2.7 percent, whereas those of Info Edge witnessed a 1.5 percent drop.
Google's announcement on Friday hinted at the potential removal of apps from ten companies for non-compliance with payment terms, although specific names were not disclosed in the accompanying blog post.
The blog post emphasized that despite interim protections from court proceedings, these ten companies, some of which are well-established, have chosen not to remunerate for the considerable value they derive from the Google Play platform.
Previously, entities like Walt Disney and Match Group, the parent company of Tinder, had taken legal action against Google, contesting its policy of levying a service fee ranging from 11 percent to 26 percent on in-app purchases within India.
Google's introduction of the service fee followed an antitrust directive challenging its earlier fee structure of 15-30 percent and mandating acceptance of third-party payments. However, companies argue that the updated fee mandate merely resembles its predecessor.
