EU may launch antitrust probe into Microsoft’s Office suite
EU may launch antitrust probe into Microsoft’s Office suite
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EU may launch antitrust probe into Microsoft’s Office suite.
The European Commission’s antitrust watchdog is reportedly considering launching an antitrust investigation against Microsoft following unsuccessful remedial discussions on the integration of Teams with its Office suite.
Talks between Microsoft and EU watchdogs to find a solution are said to have stalled, raising the possibility that the investigation will move forward, according to people familiar with the matter.
The investigation stems from complaints filed by Slack in 2020, alleging that Microsoft was hiding the “true cost” from business customers when it bundled Teams with its Microsoft 365 suite of products and forced installation on machines.
It then urged regulators to force Microsoft to remove Teams from its Microsoft 365 suite and offer it separately at a “fair” commercial price. The European Commission sent out questionnaires to interested parties to gain more insight into the matter.
Microsoft launched talks with the European Commission last year to avoid an investigation. As part of their proposed solution, Microsoft recently offered to lower the prices of its Office products by excluding the Teams app. Microsoft stated at the time:
We continue to cooperate with the European Commission on its investigation and remain open to pragmatic solutions that address its concerns and serve our clients.
However, the European Commission is reportedly looking to secure an even steeper price cut from the tech giant.
For now, the EU executive has declined to comment on the current situation.
The potential antitrust probe marks another chapter in the ongoing regulatory scrutiny of big tech companies.
Some regulators have been scrutinizing Microsoft’s ongoing $69 billion Activision-Blizzard acquisition for quite some time.
Most of the world’s countries either approved the deal or allowed the acquisition beyond certain deadlines without issuing any objections.
The countries that make up the European Union approved the deal in May, albeit with strings attached.
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