EU Antitrust Investigation of Microsoft Launched After Negotiations Stall: Report
According to sources familiar with the matter, Microsoft is expected to undergo an antitrust investigation by the EU in the near future. Discussions aimed at finding a solution to avoid this investigation seem to have encountered a hurdle.
Microsoft, which has been fined 2.2 billion euros ($2.4 billion) over the past decade for violating EU competition rules, including tying or bundling two or more products together, found itself in the EU’s crosshairs after a complaint by Salesforce-owned Workspace. Messaging app Slack in 2020.
Microsoft added Teams to Office 365 in 2017 for free, and the app eventually replaced Skype for Business.
Slack claimed that its competitor had unfairly integrated the workplace chat and video app Teams into the Office product.
Microsoft began negotiations with the European Commission last year to block the investigation. It recently offered to lower the price of its Office product without the Teams app.
The European Commission has sought a deeper price cut than the U.S. software giant is offering, the people said.
The EU leadership refused to comment.
A Microsoft spokesperson said: “We continue to cooperate with the commission in its investigation and are open to practical solutions that address its concerns and serve customers well.”
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