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Microsoft Hit by EU Anti-Competition Allegations

Cloud firm OVHcloud says Microsoft is using its market dominance to push Azure on Office licenses through appealing to affordability.

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– like other tech giants – has consistently found itself in regulatory trouble in Europe. Lawmakers in the EU take a strict approach to antitrust practices like tax evasion and monopolizing. In the latest allegations against the company, cloud firm OVHcloud has filed a complaint saying Microsoft is abusing its power in the cloud realm.

OVHcloud says the complaint is co-signed by other cloud companies but declines to name which ones. Either way, the fundamental allegation of the complaint is as follows:

The way Microsoft licenses its Office productivity suite () means it is more affordable for customers to opt for Azure as well.

“Through abusing its dominant position, Microsoft undermines fair competition and limits consumer choice in the cloud computing services market.”

Response

Microsoft has already issued a response to the claims, arguing it offers customers the opportunity to access other cloud providers freely:

“Cloud providers enjoy many options to provide cloud services to their customers using Microsoft software, whether purchased by the customer or the partner,” a company spokesperson claims. “We're continuously evaluating how we can best support partners and make Microsoft software available to customers across all environments, including those of other cloud providers.”

As mentioned, this is hardly the first time Microsoft has at the spotlight of scrutiny on it in Europe.

Back in 2017, the Dutch DPA, Autoriteir Persoongegevens said Microsoft is failing to tell Windows 10 Home and Pro customers which data the platform collects. In 2018, Dutch regulatory pointed to eight privacy issues in Office 2016 and Office 365 ProPlus. These issues were reportedly allowing Microsoft to collect data from Dutch users through apps stored on US-based servers.

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Luke Jones
Luke Jones
Luke has been writing about all things tech for more than five years. He is following Microsoft closely to bring you the latest news about Windows, Office, Azure, Skype, HoloLens and all the rest of their products.

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