Microsoft Faces New Antitrust Charges from European Commission Over Teams and Office Bundling

130

The European Commission has once again charged Microsoft, this time accusing the tech giant of illegally bundling its chat and video app, Teams, with its Office product suite. This recent charge highlights a continuing pattern of antitrust scrutiny that Microsoft has faced over the years from EU regulators.

Key Events in Microsoft’s Relationship with EU Antitrust Regulators:

– 1998: The European Commission opens an investigation into Microsoft concerning interoperability issues, following a complaint from Sun Microsystems.

– 2000: The Commission begins investigating Microsoft’s practice of bundling its Media Player with its Windows operating system.

– 2004: EU regulators impose a substantial fine of 497 million euros ($533 million) on Microsoft for not providing necessary data to competitors and for tying Media Player to its operating system.

– 2006: The European Commission levies an additional fine of 280.5 million euros against Microsoft for failing to comply with the 2004 order to provide data to its rivals.

– 2008: The Commission opens two new investigations, one into interoperability issues and another concerning browser choice. Later that year, Microsoft is hit with an additional penalty of 899 million euros for continued non-compliance with the 2004 order.

– 2009: Microsoft reaches a settlement with EU regulators over the browser choice investigation, agreeing to offer access to rival web browsers.

– 2012: On appeal, Europe’s second highest court reduces the 2008 fine from 899 million euros to 860 million euros.

– 2013: EU competition regulators impose a 561 million euro fine on Microsoft for failing to honor the 2009 commitment regarding web browser choice.

– 2020: Salesforce-owned Slack files a complaint with the EU, accusing Microsoft of unfairly bundling its Teams app with Office products.

– 2022: The Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe (CISPE), which includes Amazon as a member, lodges a complaint with the Commission over Microsoft’s cloud computing practices.

– 2023: German competitor Alfaview files a complaint with the EU watchdog about Microsoft’s bundled Teams and Office package being sold to educational institutions, prompting an investigation.

– 2024: The European Commission seeks feedback from rivals and users about Microsoft’s security software practices. Additionally, Microsoft engages in talks to resolve the antitrust complaint filed by CISPE.

The persistent legal and regulatory challenges underscore the complex and often contentious relationship between Microsoft and European antitrust authorities. As Microsoft navigates these ongoing investigations and legal battles, the outcomes will likely shape its business practices and competitive strategies in the European market.