Long-running EU antitrust case of Microsoft Teams appears to be nearing an end

BRUSSELS – European Union regulators volition question nationalist remark connected projected changes from Microsoft for Teams, signaling the U.S. institution whitethorn beryllium nearing the extremity of a long-running antitrust lawsuit targeting its messaging and videoconferencing app.

Microsoft had antecedently offered immoderate modifications including unbundling Teams from its Office bundle suite successful an effort to caput disconnected the antitrust probe soon aft it was opened by the EU 2 years ago.

But those proposals didn't fulfill the European Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s apical contention enforcer, which accused Microsoft past twelvemonth of perchance abusive behavior.

The Commission said Friday that it volition present question feedback connected caller commitments Microsoft has made to resoluteness the contention worries. That includes making the Office 365 and Microsoft 365 bundle packages disposable astatine a discount without Teams, and letting customers power betwixt packages without Teams. The institution is besides promising to marque it easier for rival bundle to enactment with Teams and for users to determination their information from Teams to to competing products.

The committee said successful a property merchandise that it “invites each funny parties to taxable their views" connected Microsoft's proposals. If everyone is satisfied, they would go legally binding.

The Redmond, Wash.-based institution is “hopeful” the Commission volition “in the pursuing months follow a last determination closing its investigation," Microsoft s vice president successful complaint of European authorities affairs, Nanna-Louise Linde, said successful a blog post.

Microsoft's commitments would beryllium successful unit for up to 10 years, the Commission said. The institution could incur fines worthy up to 10% of its yearly planetary revenues — which could tally into tens of billions of euros — if it fails to grant them

The Teams probe dates backmost to 2020, erstwhile Slack Technologies, which makes fashionable workplace messaging software, filed a complaint.

Slack, owned by concern bundle shaper Salesforce, alleged that Microsoft was abusing its marketplace dominance to destruct contention — successful usurpation of EU laws — by illegally combining Teams with its Office suite, which includes Word, Excel and Outlook.

Salesforce President Sabastian Niles said the latest announcement “affirms that Microsoft’s anticompetitive practices with Teams person harmed contention and necessitate a binding, enforceable, and effectual remedy. We volition cautiously scrutinize Microsoft’s projected commitments.”

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AP Business Writer Kelvin Chan contributed from London.

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