Google used Android compatibility as ‘club’ against Skyhook

15 years ago

“A stack of internal e-mail messages from Google, which a Massachusetts state court made public last week, provide a glimpse into the competitive tactics and decision-making inside a business that is crucial to the company’s growth — its Android software for smartphones,” Steve Lohr reports for The New York Times.

“Android is Google’s gateway technology to a lucrative new arena for mobile advertising. Google provides the Android operating system free to handset makers, and allows them to tailor the open-source software somewhat, yet limits their freedom to tinker,” Lohr reports. “Android phones must adhere to a ‘compatibility’ standard determined by Google. In an e-mail on Aug. 6, 2010, Dan Morrill, a manager in the Android group, noted in passing that it was obvious to the phone makers that ‘we are using compatibility as a club to make them do things we want.'”

Lohr reports, “Whether that club is an anticompetitive weapon is an issue in the court case… In the Massachusetts court, Skyhook Wireless has alleged that Google used its control over Android not to maintain the quality of its technology, but to squelch a competitor. Last April, Motorola chose to use Skyhook’s service in its Android phones instead of the free location data service offered by Google. Motorola reversed that decision in July. ‘After we announced our deal with Motorola, Google went crazy,’ said Ted Morgan, Skyhook’s chief executive. ‘That’s when Google went looking for compatibility compliance issues.’ Skyhook had reached a similar agreement with Samsung in April, which was also reversed in July.”