Microsoft is facing a formal complaint from the European Union (EU) over its Teams video-conferencing app. Despite Microsoft’s attempts to address concerns, regulators are preparing to send a statement of objections to the company in the coming months. This investigation follows a complaint from Salesforce’s messaging platform Slack. Microsoft is also facing other complaints related to unfair licensing practices and bundling its cloud system with Windows. Additionally, the EU is investigating whether Microsoft’s Bing, Edge, and Advertising services should fall under the scope of the bloc’s Digital Markets Act.
Microsoft Facing Formal EU Complaint Over Teams Video App
Microsoft Corp. is facing a formal complaint from the European Union (EU) as the bloc’s antitrust enforcers prepare to send a statement of objections regarding the company’s conduct with its Teams video-conferencing app. Despite Microsoft’s recent proposal to sell Teams separately with an annual discount, regulators remain unsatisfied. This investigation was initiated following a complaint from Salesforce’s messaging platform, Slack. In addition to this complaint, Microsoft is also facing other complaints related to unfair licensing practices and bundling its cloud system with Windows. The EU is further investigating whether Microsoft’s Bing, Edge, and Advertising services should come under the scope of the bloc’s Digital Markets Act.
EU Complaint and Investigations
1. Microsoft Teams: The European Union is preparing a formal complaint against Microsoft for its conduct with the Teams video-conferencing app. Despite Microsoft’s attempt to address concerns by proposing to sell Teams separately with an annual discount, regulators are not satisfied. This investigation was triggered by a complaint from Salesforce’s messaging platform, Slack.
2. Other Complaints: Microsoft is facing at least two other complaints filed to EU regulators. One complaint, filed by a European cloud group with Amazon’s AWS among its members, accuses Microsoft of using unfair licensing practices to attract EU customers to its cloud infrastructure. Another complaint, filed by German cloud platform NextCloud GmbH, raises concerns about Microsoft bundling its OneDrive cloud system with Windows.
Investigation Under the Digital Markets Act
The EU’s digital antitrust regulators are also investigating whether Microsoft’s Bing, Edge, and Advertising services should fall under the scope of the bloc’s Digital Markets Act. This act lays out rules and guidelines for major tech companies. The investigation aims to determine if Microsoft’s services comply with the dos and don’ts set by the act.
