A charm offensive by Microsoft has not paid off. The European Commission wants to launch an antitrust investigation against Microsoft with full force.

The indictment has been hanging over Microsoft’s head since 2020. It was Slack who went to court at the time to denounce teams for “unfair competition”. Years later, it now appears to be a major investigation, writes Reuters.

Microsoft had nevertheless tried to appease the European Commission with a proposal to remove teams from Office. The software giant would then offer a cheaper package without the video conferencing app. The European Commission rejected this proposal because the price difference between the packages with and without teams was too small. Microsoft would still have the opportunity to submit a second proposal before the investigation officially begins.

Pragmatic solutions

If it does not succeed in convincing the European Commission, Microsoft faces a fine of up to ten percent of its annual turnover. In a statement sent to various media outlets, Microsoft says it will take a constructive approach while the case continues. Microsoft wants to arrive at a “pragmatic solution” that “addresses concerns and serves customers well.”

Resistance to Microsoft

In Europe, resistance to Microsoft is growing. At the end of March, a German cloud provider contacted the local market regulator to establish the connection between the Office apps and the Windows operating system. The association of European cloud providers CISPE has also initiated proceedings to protest against an amicable agreement that Microsoft reached earlier this year with three of its members, including the French player OHV Cloud.