Report : Google Found Guilty In Russian Antitrust Probe

(RTTNews) - Google Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL) has been found guilty in a rapid Russian antitrust probe, the Wall Street Journal reported citing a spokesperson for the country's antitrust regulator.

In February, Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service opened a probe into Google for alleged anticompetitive practices related to how the company bundles apps with its Android mobile operating system.

The company was found guilty of "abusing its dominant market position," but not of "unfair competition practices," the Journal quoted the regulator as saying.

The Russian agency will have 10 business days to issue its ruling on the case in full. "We haven't yet received the ruling," Google's Russia spokeswoman reportedly said. "When we do, we will study it and determine our next steps."

Google has been tied up for several years in an antitrust probe in Europe. The Russian regulator's decision, however, comes just under seven months after the probe was initiated.

The probe follows a complaint from Russia's biggest Internet firm, Yandex NV, which accused Google of unfair practices.

Following the ruling, Google faces possible mandates to change its agreements with phone and other device manufacturers to accommodate the concerns of Yandex and other developers. Google could also face an as-yet-unspecified fine, the report said.