The European Commission has opened an antitrust probe into Microsoft’s cloud bundled offers, looking into whether the company is abusing its market power.
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The Commission is specifically looking at whether Microsoft’s bundled offers give the company an unfair advantage over its rivals. For example, Microsoft bundles its Office 365 productivity suite with its Azure cloud computing platform. This could make it difficult for other cloud providers to compete, as they would have to offer a similar bundle to be competitive.
The Commission’s probe is part of a wider investigation into Microsoft’s business practices. In 2004, the Commission fined Microsoft ā¬497 million for abusing its market power in the operating system market.
Microsoft has said that its bundled offers are designed to provide customers with a convenient and cost-effective way to get the products and services they need. The company has also said that it is open to working with the Commission to address any concerns.
The Commission’s probe is ongoing, and it is not clear when it will be concluded. However, if the Commission finds that Microsoft’s bundled offers are anti-competitive, it could impose a fine on the company.