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Microsoft Under Scrutiny In Europe After Complaints Of Undermining Competition

Microsoft may soon be facing renewed scrutiny from European Union-based antitrust regulators, the European Commission, who are asking the company’s rivals about its cloud business and licensing deals, according to Reuters. If it were to lead to a formal investigation, Microsoft could face additional fines; the company has already paid $1.8 billion in the last decade. Thanks to complaints from German software provider NextCloud, France's OVHcloud, and two other companies, Microsoft is back in the regulator’s sights.

This information comes from a questionnaire the European Commission sent to several Microsoft market rivals, asking about the company’s business practices and licensing terms. The commission asked about the competitiveness of Microsoft’s licensing deals with cloud service providers and other details about the company’s dealings in Europe.

In the case of NextCloud, Founder and Chief Executive Officer Frank Karlitschek likened the situation to Microsoft’s 2001 antitrust case, complaining about the bundling of Windows with other online services. OVHcloud has also joined several other companies in accusing Microsoft of undermining fair competition.