Google: “MS Violates Antitrust Law in Cloud Market”… Reported to EU :: Sympathetic Media Newsis ::

“Controlling the market through unfair licensing agreements”

(Seoul = Newsis) Reporter Lee Hye-won = Google reported Microsoft (MS) to the European Union (EU) for violating antitrust laws, claiming that it is suppressing competition in the cloud sector through unfair contracts.

According to CNBC and other sources on the 25th (local time), Google submitted an antitrust complaint against MS to the EU Executive Commission.

Google has accused Microsoft of using unfair licensing agreements to stifle competition in the multibillion-dollar cloud computing industry.

In particular, it claimed that MS controls the cloud market by locking in users with unfair licensing terms, making it difficult for a large number of users to use products other than MS Azure cloud through Windows Server and MS Office products.

He also lamented that restrictions included in Microsoft’s cloud licensing terms make it more difficult for users to move their work to competitors’ clouds, even though there are no technical barriers.

Microsoft says the EU commission should reject the complaint, citing a July agreement reached by the European Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers Association, CISPE.

“Microsoft amicably resolved similar concerns raised by European cloud providers even after Google expected to file a lawsuit,” a Microsoft spokesperson told CNBC. “Google will likely fail to persuade the European Commission as it has done with European companies.”

In November 2022, CISPE filed a complaint with the EU Commission, claiming that Microsoft’s cloud contract terms violated competition law. In July, CISPE withdrew its complaint after Microsoft agreed to pay €22 million. Google is not a member of CISPE.

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