The European Union (EU) is famous for bringing antitrust lawsuits against the big tech companies based in the United States. The Union has gone after Google, Apple, and Microsoft. Now, Microsoft finds itself in the crosshairs, yet again, in an investigation opened by the EU.
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EU laws are very different from the laws in the US, and they seem to be aggressive when it comes to antitrust issues. The government body opened an antitrust investigation on Thursday to look into how Microsoft is bundling its Office and Teams software programs and whether that gives the company an advantage over its competitors.
The AP reported; The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s top competition enforcer, said it would carry out its in-depth investigation “as a matter of priority.” The investigation stems from a complaint filed in 2020 by Slack Technologies, which makes popular workplace messaging software.
The parent company of Slack, is accusing Microsoft of abusing its market dominance and trying to eliminate competition by combining Office and Teams.
The AP reported; “Remote communication and collaboration tools like Teams have become indispensable for many businesses in Europe. We must therefore ensure that the markets for these products remain competitive,” said Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s antitrust commissioner.
“This is why we are investigating whether Microsoft’s tying of its productivity suites with Teams may be in breach of EU competition rules,” she added.
It’s just another day in the European Union courts for most of the big tech companies. There appears to be a revolving door of antitrust lawsuits that never ends. It will be interesting to see if the investigation turns up charges against the tech giant.
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