The European Commission accused Microsoft has been accused of breaking EU anti-competition rules by bundling its Teams communications app with its subscription services.
The regulator, which is an executive body of the European Union, has were told The move to add Teams to Microsoft 365 and Office 365 in 2019 on Tuesday (June 25) was an abuse of market dominance. Users had no choice to choose Teams, as access to it was included with regular packages.
Following a complaint from rival platform Slack in 2020, the European Commission launched its own investigation and now its preliminary decision has been revealed.
“The European Commission has informed Microsoft of its preliminary view that Microsoft has infringed EU anti-competition rules by integrating its communications and collaboration product Teams with its popular productivity applications included in its suites Office 365 and Microsoft 365 for businesses,” said the statement of objections issued to inform the companies of the concerns raised against them.
Microsoft has offered the service since then. Without a teamBut the EU regulator believes these changes are not enough, and more action is needed to restore competition.
Microsoft will “work to find a solution”
US technology giant forced to pay up It was fined $2.4 billion nearly 20 years ago for violating EU antitrust rules, including bundling or selling two or more products together and related offenses. It now faces even more severe sanctions that could total up to 10% of its global turnover if the company is found guilty of the latest alleged violation.
This is another example of how European Union Strict action is being taken against What is considered a ‘gatekeeper’ In Big Tech, including Apple and Microsoft, especially with the introduction of the new Digital Markets Act.
In reply, Reference to Microsoft President Brad Smith notes Earlier this month, he spoke of the company’s openness to finding a solution to the impasse. On that occasion, he said, “I expect us to take additional steps. We’ve done a lot of work on teams, (but) our work is not done yet.”
“Microsoft is committed to finding solutions to regulators’ concerns,” Smith said.
The move follows a preliminary determination by the EU, providing a further signal of intent. “Having separated teams and taken initial interoperability steps, we appreciate the additional clarity provided today and will work to find solutions to address the Commission’s remaining concerns,” Smith said.
Image Credit: Via Ideogram
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