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Title: Microsoft attemps to avoid EU fines by further decoupling Teams and
Office

Date: Fri, 16 May 2025 17:05:19 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/microsoft-a...

The European Commission (EC) has been firing on all cylinders in holding big
tech to account through various fines and enforcement actions, attempting to
create a more competitive landscape in a space that has become increasingly
monopolized.

Microsoft has been in a years-long dispute with the EC, which opened an
antitrust probe in 2023 after Slack filed a complaint in 2020 alleging that
MicrosoftΓÇÖs bundling of Teams and Microsoft 365 was anticompetitive.

The company unbundled the two products in the EU shortly thereafter in a bid
to avoid antitrust fines, but it wasnΓÇÖt enough to appease the EC. In 2024,
the Commission found that Microsoft did not go far enough and was still in
violation of antitrust laws, risking massive fines.

This week, Microsoft responded with a more robust set of commitments. Its
productivity software suites will continue to be offered without Teams in the
European Economic Area (EEA) for at least seven years. Minimum price deltas
will be set between versions of the suites that include Teams and those which
do not.

Microsoft has also offered to align these options and pricing structures for
its suites and Teams globally should the EC accept its proposal.
Interoperability enhancements that make it easier to use third-party
competitors to Teams were also included in the proposal.

"The proposed commitments are the result of constructive, good-faith
discussions with the European Commission over several months. We believe that
they represent a clear and complete resolution to the concerns raised by our
competitors and will provide European customers with more choices," said
Nanna-Louise Linde, Microsoft's VP of European Government Affairs.

The EC has begun an open feedback period, seeking comments from competitors
and citizens on whether the proposed commitments by Microsoft are adequate
and place the company back within the bounds of the EU's antitrust
regulations.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-
tech/microsoft-attemps-to-avoid-eu-fines-by-further-decoupling-teams-and-
office-170519085.html?src=rss

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