CCI fines US e-payments firm VeriFone’s India arm
15 April 2015 12:59 AM GMT
The Competition Commission of India has slapped a fine of about Rs 4.5 crore on Verifone India Sales, the Indian arm of US-based electronic payments firm VeriFone Systems Inc, for indulging in unfair business practices.
The ruling, which comes after a detailed probe by the fair trade regulator upon complaints by Atos Worldline India Private Ltd and Three D Integrated Solutions, also directs Verifone "to cease and desist" from anti-competitive acts. The regulator after examination found out Verifone India Sales indulging in unfair business practices relating to point-of-sale (POS) technologies. Verifone provides electronic payment technologies such as POS machines that are used to swipe credit and debit cards at shops and restaurants.
POS machines are supplied along with core applications and Software Development Kits (SDKs). These are sold directly to the customers like banks and retail outlets or to the third party processors (TPPs) who act on behalf of acquiring banks and also render value added services (VAS) to develop and integrate applications into POS terminals. It is averred that for the provision of VAS, it is important for TPPs (such as the complainants) to have access to the core POS Terminal applications and their crucial updates along with SDKs.
It was alleged that Verifone was imposing restrictive and unfair conditions on the usage of SDKs as well as abusing its dominant position in POS terminal market to control VAS space. Based on the probe report by its investigation arm the Director General (DG), CCI in a recently released order said that "the conduct of the opposite party no 1 (Verifone India Sales) is abusive in terms of...the (Competition) Act".
"The Commission is of the considered opinion that through the SDK agreement the opposite party no 1 has imposed unfair conditions on VAS/TPP service providers which is in contravention of... the Act," it added.
The ruling, which comes after a detailed probe by the fair trade regulator upon complaints by Atos Worldline India Private Ltd and Three D Integrated Solutions, also directs Verifone "to cease and desist" from anti-competitive acts. The regulator after examination found out Verifone India Sales indulging in unfair business practices relating to point-of-sale (POS) technologies. Verifone provides electronic payment technologies such as POS machines that are used to swipe credit and debit cards at shops and restaurants.
POS machines are supplied along with core applications and Software Development Kits (SDKs). These are sold directly to the customers like banks and retail outlets or to the third party processors (TPPs) who act on behalf of acquiring banks and also render value added services (VAS) to develop and integrate applications into POS terminals. It is averred that for the provision of VAS, it is important for TPPs (such as the complainants) to have access to the core POS Terminal applications and their crucial updates along with SDKs.
It was alleged that Verifone was imposing restrictive and unfair conditions on the usage of SDKs as well as abusing its dominant position in POS terminal market to control VAS space. Based on the probe report by its investigation arm the Director General (DG), CCI in a recently released order said that "the conduct of the opposite party no 1 (Verifone India Sales) is abusive in terms of...the (Competition) Act".
"The Commission is of the considered opinion that through the SDK agreement the opposite party no 1 has imposed unfair conditions on VAS/TPP service providers which is in contravention of... the Act," it added.
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