BRUSSELS (Reuters) – EU antitrust regulators are quizzing Microsoft’s rivals and customers about its cloud enterprise and licensing offers, a questionnaire observed by Reuters showed, in a transfer that could lead to a official investigation and renewed scrutiny of the U.S. program firm.
The European Fee has fined Microsoft a whole 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion) in the former ten years for breaching EU antitrust rules and for not complying with its order to halt anti-aggressive practices.
The corporation found itself on the EU competitors enforcer’s radar all over again following German computer software supplier NextCloud, France’s OVHcloud and two other firms filed grievances about Microsoft’s cloud methods.
“The Fee has details that Microsoft might be utilizing its perhaps dominant position in particular software markets to foreclose competitors concerning specified cloud computing services,” the questionnaire claimed.
Regulators requested if the terms in Microsoft’s licensing promotions with cloud company companies enable rivals to contend properly.
They also want to know if companies desired Microsoft’s operating units and efficiency programs to complement their own cloud infrastructure presenting in purchase to compete successfully.
Organizations also were questioned about the variations in license expenses and business phrases amongst the licensing bargains with cloud company suppliers and a different programme in which they bundle and indirectly resell Microsoft’s cloud providers collectively with their possess.
An additional concentration was prospective technological limitations on cloud storage products and services accessible on companies’ cloud infrastructure.
“We are consistently assessing how we can very best support associates and make Microsoft application obtainable to buyers throughout all environments, including those people of other cloud suppliers,” Microsoft explained in an emailed assertion.
EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager before this week stated she has no fears however about cloud computing and cited the competition from Europe’s Gaia-X initiative.
(Composing by Foo Yun Chee Modifying by Monthly bill Berkrot)
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