Microsoft has been notified by the European Commission of a preliminary finding that it violated EU antitrust rules by bundling its Teams communications platform with popular productivity apps in the business versions of Office 365 and Microsoft 365. This practice has limited market competition in the communications products market, protecting Microsoft’s position in the productivity software market and its business model based on packages from competing suppliers of individual software.
The Commission is concerned that this behavior may have given Microsoft an unfair advantage over its competitors in the remote communication and collaboration tools market. If confirmed, these practices would be illegal under EU competition rules. Margrethe Vestager, the executive vice-president responsible for market competition policy, stated that “We are concerned that Microsoft may be giving its Teams communication platform an unjustified advantage over its competitors, linking it to popular business productivity packages.”
Microsoft now has the opportunity to respond to the Commission’s concerns and answer their questions about their practices. The notification sent by the Commission does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation.
