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EU is pushing ahead with antitrust proceedings against Microsoft and Teams despite their separation

  • May 13, 2024
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The European Union is pushing ahead with antitrust proceedings against Microsoft for anti-competitive behavior in Teams. To avoid this, Microsoft recently separated Teams from Microsoft 365, but to

EU is pushing ahead with antitrust proceedings against Microsoft and Teams despite their separation

The European Union is pushing ahead with antitrust proceedings against Microsoft for anti-competitive behavior in Teams. To avoid this, Microsoft recently separated Teams from Microsoft 365, but to no avail.

The European Commission is pushing ahead with its antitrust proceedings against Microsoft. This case has been brewing for several years. The focus of the complaint is Microsoft Teams, which, according to the Commission, Microsoft uses to exploit its market position to undermine competitors. Slack has previously filed a complaint regarding this.

Last month, Microsoft separated Teams from Microsoft 365 and Office globally, after the company separated both products in Europe a year earlier. With this move, Microsoft hoped to avoid an antitrust investigation. The Financial Times now knows from anonymous sources that the EU is not impressed by this and still wants to continue the case.

Not far enough

Specifically, the European Commission fears that Microsoft has not gone far enough to ensure fairness in the market. Teams, for example, would be more compatible with Microsoft’s own solutions than other apps. In addition, Microsoft is still pursuing a pricing strategy that makes options other than Teams in combination with Microsoft 365 not really interesting. In addition, opponents criticize that Teams is a closed ecosystem, which makes the transition more difficult.

Microsoft is expected to receive formal complaints in the coming weeks. Microsoft’s competitors are currently working with the committee to finalize the charges.

Not final

In theory, Microsoft can still make adjustments to change the EU’s mind. As long as the charges have not yet been officially filed, the commission can also decide not to proceed with the case. It’s been ten years since Microsoft and the European Union clashed over antitrust issues.

Microsoft is one usher according to the new law on digital markets. This implies that the company has greater responsibility due to its market dominance. The EU itself has become more interested in forming monopolies in recent years and is taking tougher measures, especially in the tech world.

Source: IT Daily

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