Microsoft is no longer under investigation in Russia. The country’s regulatory body, the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS), says it has dropped its case against the company. In a release, FAS says Microsoft adhered to its warnings and there is no longer a case to answer.
Speaking on Tuesday, FAS Deputy Head Anatoly Golomolzin said Microsoft has made all the necessary changes to appease the body.
“Today, both the applicant and the respondent companies confirmed that the violation was eliminated. Therefore, FAS closed the case against Microsoft … Seeing as the warning was fulfilled, there will be no penalties for Microsoft,” Golomolzin said.
FAS was brought in to investigate a complaint made by Kaspersky Lab. The Russian security company accused Microsoft of attempting to create a monopoly for its Windows Defender anti-virus software.
This was achieved by stopping third-parties from functioning through new updates of Windows 10. Through the first stages of a new build, third party providers did not have enough time to update their software to be compatible.
Kaspersky also said Windows 10 turns off third-party anti-virus by default through an update. The company contacted Microsoft and was willing to work towards finding a solution. That dialogue did not materialize so Kaspersky filed an antitrust complaint against Microsoft in Europe.
While Microsoft maintained its Windows 10 update process was fine, a case was brought against the company. The FAS launched the investigation in November. In June, the regulatory authority warned Microsoft to make changes to Windows 10 or face consequences.
European Battle
As you may remember, Kaspersky brought similar charges against Microsoft in Europe. The European Commission was in the midst of investigating the matter when Kaspersky Lab dropped the accusations last week.
Microsoft had made necessary changes to make Windows 10 a more welcoming environment for third-party providers. In doing so, Kaspersky was happy and dropped the case. It seems the Russia decision taken by the FAS is simply following the European case.
