Unique-EU antitrust regulators ramp up Microsoft scrutiny, probe doubtless

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Microsoft (NASDAQ:) is prone to face an EU antitrust investigation as regulators intensify their scrutiny into its practices in a case triggered by Salesforce.com (NYSE:)’s workspace messaging app Slack, folks aware of the matter stated on Thursday.

Final 12 months, Slack complained to the European Fee, saying that Microsoft has unfairly built-in its office chat and video app Groups into its Workplace product. Microsoft launched Groups in 2017, looking for a slice of the fast-growing and profitable office collaboration market.

Slack urged the EU competitors enforcer to order the U.S. software program large to separate Groups from the Workplace Go well with and promote it individually at honest industrial costs.

The Fee final month despatched out one other batch of questionnaires in a follow-up to these despatched out in October final 12 months, an indication that the EU competitors enforcer is making ready the bottom for opening a proper investigation, the folks stated.

“The Fee is (Microsoft’s) interoperability and bundling however extra detailed this time. They’re on the lookout for info that permits them to outline treatments,” one of many folks stated.

“They’re making ready the bottom for an investigation,” a second individual stated.

The Fee and Microsoft, which has been fined 2.2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) for instances involving so-called tying and different practices within the earlier decade, declined to remark.

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