Microsoft’s cloud business targeted by EU antitrust regulators

Basic view of Microsoft Corporation headquarters at Issy-les-Moulineaux, close to Paris, France, April 18, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Image

BRUSSELS, April 1 (Reuters) – EU antitrust regulators are quizzing Microsoft’s (MSFT.O) rivals and buyers about its cloud organization and licensing offers, a questionnaire found by Reuters showed, in a go that could lead to a official investigation and renewed scrutiny of the U.S. software business.

The European Commission has fined Microsoft a overall 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion) in the preceding ten years for breaching EU antitrust procedures and for not complying with its buy to halt anti-competitive tactics.

The company observed alone on the EU competition enforcer’s radar all over again just after German software program service provider NextCloud, France’s OVHcloud (OVH.PA) and two other businesses submitted issues about Microsoft’s cloud techniques.

“The Fee has information and facts that Microsoft may possibly be working with its potentially dominant situation in certain software marketplaces to foreclose level of competition with regards to specified cloud computing services,” the questionnaire reported.

Regulators asked if the terms in Microsoft’s licensing deals with cloud support suppliers enable rivals to compete effectively.

They also want to know if companies needed Microsoft’s functioning methods and productiveness apps to complement their personal cloud infrastructure supplying in order to compete successfully.

Businesses also were being questioned about the dissimilarities in license fees and commercial terms amongst the licensing promotions with cloud service vendors and yet another programme in which they deal and indirectly resell Microsoft’s cloud services collectively with their individual.

Yet another aim was opportunity specialized constraints on cloud storage solutions out there on companies’ cloud infrastructure.

“We’re consistently evaluating how we can ideal assist partners and make Microsoft program obtainable to prospects across all environments, which includes all those of other cloud companies,” Microsoft explained in an emailed assertion.

EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager previously this 7 days said she has no worries still about cloud computing and cited the levels of competition from Europe’s Gaia-X initiative. browse additional

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Producing by Foo Yun Chee Editing by Monthly bill Berkrot

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