EU Antitrust Charges Against Microsoft for Including Teams in Product Bundles
Money | June 25, 2024, 5:33 a.m.
EU regulators have charged Microsoft with illegally bundling its Teams chat app with its Office 365 and Microsoft 365 subscriptions. This is the first time Microsoft has been charged with antitrust violations in the EU in 15 years, the last incidents involving Windows Media Player and Internet Explorer bundling. The European Commission alleges that by tying Teams to its productivity suites, Microsoft is giving its own product an unfair advantage over competitors. Despite unbundling Teams from Office in Europe and globally, Microsoft still faces charges. The firm could face fines of up to 10 percent of its annual worldwide turnover if found guilty, along with other remedies to change its software products. Microsoft is working with the EU on solutions, acknowledging concerns raised and promising to address them. Slack's complaint initially triggered the investigation, leading to this high-stakes antitrust battle.