According to two sources, Microsoft has proposed varying prices for its Office product with and without the Teams app in order to prevent a potential investigation and penalty by the EU for antitrust violations.
Microsoft has been working to resolve concerns raised by the EU competition enforcer since last year, following a complaint by the workspace messaging app Slack to the European Commission, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters in December.
In 2020, Slack accused Microsoft of integrating its workplace chat and video app Teams into its Office product unfairly. Teams was launched by the US tech giant in 2017 as a strategy to capture the rapidly expanding and profitable workplace collaboration market.
Read more: Microsoft Offers EU Watchdog Changes To Its Cloud Practices
The European Commission reported on Thursday that there were additional complainants, aside from Slack, reported Reuters.
“We have received several complaints regarding Microsoft, including by Slack, regarding Microsoft’s conduct in relation to its Teams product. As you know the assessment is ongoing so we cannot comment further,” a spokesperson said.
Microsoft stated that they are working collaboratively with the Commission and are willing to find practical solutions that address any concerns and benefit their customers.
The EU antitrust watchdog is gathering input from Microsoft competitors regarding their proposal, according to sources.
The European Commission imposed a fine of 2.2 billion euros ($2.4 billion) on Microsoft in the past decade for violating EU competition regulations, such as bundling multiple products together.
Featured News
T-Mobile Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Over Sprint Merger After Appeal Denied
May 16, 2024 by
CPI
Google Faces Backlash Over Introduction of AI-Generated Summaries in Searches
May 16, 2024 by
CPI
CMA Launches Phase 2 Probe into AlphaTheta’s Acquisition of Serato
May 16, 2024 by
CPI
NFL Executive Escapes Testifying in High-Stakes Trial Over Televised Games
May 16, 2024 by
CPI
EU Consumers Lodge Complaint Against Chinese Retailer Temu Over Content Rules Breach
May 16, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Ecosystems
May 9, 2024 by
CPI
Mapping Antitrust onto Digital Ecosystems
May 9, 2024 by
CPI
Ecosystems and Competition Law: A Law and Political Economy Approach
May 9, 2024 by
CPI
Ecosystem Theories of Harm: What is Beyond the Buzzword?
May 9, 2024 by
CPI
Open Ecosystems: Benefits, Challenges, and Implications for Antitrust
May 9, 2024 by
CPI