Google Loses at Indonesia's Supreme Court
Jakarta — Indonesia’s Supreme Court has rejected the cassation petition filed by Google LLC in a case concerning alleged monopolistic practices and abuse of dominant position in the implementation of the Google Play Store application payment system. The Supreme Court’s decision was handed down on Tuesday, 10 March 2026 in Jakarta.
According to the official Supreme Court website, the case was assigned case number 193 K/PDT.SUS-KPPU/2026. The decision was issued by a panel of Supreme Court judges chaired by Syamsul Ma’arif, with Nurul Elmiyah and Nani Indrawati as associate judges.
With this Supreme Court decision, the KPPU’s ruling imposing a fine of 202.5 billion rupiah on Google LLC is now final and binding.
The Supreme Court’s rejection of Google LLC’s cassation appeal also closes all legal remedies available to Google LLC in case number 03/KPPU-I/2024 concerning the application of the Google Play Billing System on the application distribution service available in the Google Play Store.
Deswin Nur, Head of Public Relations and Cooperation at the KPPU, confirmed the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday, 13 March 2026 in Jakarta. “The KPPU’s decision is now final and binding. Google LLC must pay the 202.5 billion rupiah fine we imposed,” he stated.
The case concerning alleged monopolistic practices and abuse of dominant position by Google LLC in Indonesia regarding the application of the Google Play Store payment system was investigated by the KPPU in 2022.
At that time, Google LLC implemented a policy requiring all application developers wishing to sell in the Google Play Store to use the Google Play Billing System as the sole payment method.
The policy, which became effective on 1 June 2022, prohibited alternative payment methods and imposed service charges of 15-30 per cent per transaction.
The KPPU began investigating the alleged violation in September 2022. The KPPU believed the policy had the potential to hinder competition in the application distribution and digital payment services market in Indonesia.
The case was subsequently heard by the KPPU on 28 June 2024 in case number 03/KPPU-I/2024. During the investigation, investigators determined that Google LLC’s policy had the potential to create barriers to entry in the digital payments market and reduce payment options for both developers and consumers. Furthermore, KPPU investigators found that the Google Play Store controlled approximately 93 per cent of the application distribution market in Indonesia.
After the examination process through December 2024, the KPPU panel decided on 21 January 2025 that Google LLC had violated Article 17 and Article 25(1)(b) of Law Number 5 of 1999 concerning the Prohibition of Monopolistic Practices and Unfair Business Competition.
In its decision dated 21 January 2025, the KPPU imposed a fine of 202.5 billion rupiah on Google LLC and ordered the company to cease the mandatory use of Google Play Billing in the Google Play Store.
The KPPU also ordered Google LLC to provide all app developers the opportunity to participate in the User Choice Billing (UCB) programme with incentives including a service charge reduction of at least 5 per cent for one year from the date the decision became final.
However, Google LLC objected and submitted its appeal to the Commercial Court at the Jakarta Central District Court via a notice of objection dated 7 February 2025. Unfortunately, Google LLC’s appeal application was rejected.
In a decision handed down on 19 June 2025, the Commercial Court at the Jakarta Central District Court rejected all of Google’s appeal requests and upheld the KPPU’s decision.
Google LLC subsequently filed a cassation with the Indonesian Supreme Court as its final legal remedy.
In an official statement distributed to the media, Google LLC’s position has remained consistent. By providing a secure platform, access to global markets, and a variety of choices including alternative billing system options in accordance with user preferences (the User Choice Billing programme) in the Google Play Store, Google LLC claims to have endeavoured to promote a healthy and competitive application market environment in Indonesia.
Google LLC also stated that beyond the Google Play Store platform, Google provides active support to Indonesian developers through various comprehensive initiatives, including the Indie Games Accelerator programme, Play Academy, and Play x Unity. Google considers this to reflect its deep investment in the success of application developers in Indonesia.
“We remain committed to complying with Indonesian law and will continue to collaborate constructively with the KPPU and all relevant parties throughout the appeal process,” Google stated.
Google in Indonesia has not yet issued a formal statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision.
Dhita Wiradiputra, a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Indonesia (UI), when contacted on Friday, 13 March 2026 in Jakarta, opined that the Supreme Court’s decision to reject Google LLC’s cassation petition could serve as a landmark case in the enforcement of business competition law against digital platform businesses in Indonesia.
The decision simultaneously demonstrates that the KPPU has the capability to handle business competition cases in the digital economy sector. To date, alleged unfair competition cases brought against digital companies have been considered difficult to handle during the case proceedings.
“By the Supreme Court upholding the KPPU’s decision, what the KPPU has done is correct,” he said.
Google LLC is expected to promptly adjust its conduct in accordance with the KPPU decision, starting from paying the fine through to opening alternative payment system options besides Google Play Billing for app developers from Indonesia, so as not to hinder competition in the existing payment system.