Microsoft hit with antitrust charges by EU over ‘possibly abusive’ business practices
NY Post
Microsoft allegedly violated European Union antitrust rules by bundling its Teams software with apps such as Office 365 and Microsoft 365 — behavior that the regulatory body said was “possibly abusive.”
The European Commission said Monday it informed Microsoft of its preliminary view that the US tech giant has been “restricting competition” by bundling Teams with its core office productivity applications.
On Monday, the commission took aim at another American tech behemoth — Apple. It accused the iPhone maker of preventing other app developers from offering their customers cheaper options outside of its App Store in violation of rules designed to encourage competition.
The Justice Department filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Apple this year, accusing it of illegally monopolizing the smartphone market and boxing out competitors, stifling innovation and keeping prices artificially high.
The European Commission, which is charged with enforcing the EU’s antitrust laws, alleges that Microsoft gave Teams a “distribution advantage” by not giving customers a choice on whether to have Teams when they purchased the software.
Microsoft also stood accused of limiting rival messaging apps’ ability to work with the company’s own software.
