EU prepares to probe Microsoft for ‘unfair bundling’ of Teams with Office: report
Charges by European Union antitrust authorities could be levied by the fall
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European Union antitrust authorities will reportedly investigate Microsoft to determine if the software giant unfairly bundled its Teams video conferencing app with its Office service.
Sources quoted by the Financial Times on Monday say the inquiry could result in formal charges by the fall, while EU regulators remain concerned past attempts by Microsoft to moderate competition have not worked.
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The report said messaging app Slack filed a complaint with the EU in July 2020, accusing Microsoft of illegally tying its Teams product into its market-dominant Office productivity. Brussels said other companies have also made complaints, according to the report.
A bicyclist cycles past a Slack logo outside its headquarters on Dec. 1, 2020, in San Francisco, California. (Stephen Lam/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Meanwhile, the Financial Times said Microsoft responded earlier in the year by agreeing to stop forcing Office customers to install Teams automatically.
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Despite Microsoft’s response, the report highlighted that talks between Microsoft and EU officials had come to a recent halt over the "wider geographical impact of the tech giant's concessions and the amount the company would charge for Teams."
EU flags (Getty Images / Getty Images)
People close to the matter told the Financial Times that it is now "very unlikely," that Microsoft can avoid an EU investigation.
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The investigation would mark the first conducted by EU officials into Microsoft since 2008 when the firm was accused of tying the Internet Explorer browser to its Windows operating system.
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