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French Competition Authority Rejects Qwant’s Complaint Against Microsoft

By  |  November 27, 2025

France’s competition authority has thrown out a complaint from search provider Qwant that accused Microsoft of misusing its powerful position in the market, according to Reuters. The Autorite de la Concurrence said that Qwant did not provide convincing evidence to support its accusations and declined to issue the urgent measures the French company had sought, per Reuters.

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    Qwant, which has long depended on Microsoft’s Bing technology to supply search and news results, had already anticipated that its filing might fail. The company said last month that if the case was rejected, it planned to pursue legal action in court or take its concerns to other regulators, according to Reuters.

    Microsoft welcomed the outcome. “We agree with the decision and remain committed to providing high-quality search services and fostering innovation for consumers and partners in France and across Europe,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.

    Read more: Microsoft Expands Into Medical Superintelligence Amid Growing Focus on AI Regulation

    The Paris-based search engine had argued that Microsoft imposed restrictive conditions on search and advertising results, limiting Qwant’s ability to grow its own technology and artificial intelligence capabilities. Qwant also contended that Microsoft gave preferential treatment to its own services in search advertising allocation.

    Microsoft remains a major supplier of syndication services for search engines in Europe, working not only with Qwant but also with platforms such as Ecosia, DuckDuckGo and Lilo, according to Reuters.

    Source: Reuters