Headlines
Microsoft hit with Opera complaint to Brazilian antitrust regulator
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 29, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 29, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Opera has filed a complaint against Microsoft to Brazil's CADE, alleging unfair competition by pre-installing Edge on Windows, affecting browser competition.
By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Norwegian browser maker Opera filed a complaint about U.S. tech giant Microsoft to Brazilian antitrust authority CADE on Tuesday alleging its Edge browser has an unfair advantage, underscoring the long-running rivalry between the two companies.
Opera complained to the European Commission in December 2007 about Microsoft tying its Internet Explorer browser to its Windows operating system. The case eventually ended with a 561 million euro (USD conversion) EU antitrust fine for the U.S. company.
In July last year, Opera took the Commission to court for exempting Edge from the Digital Markets Act, which aims to rein in the power of Big Tech via a list of dos and don'ts.
In its complaint to CADE seen by Reuters, Opera alleged that Microsoft's pre-installation of Edge as the default browser across Windows devices and computers prevents rivals from competing on the merits of the products.
"Microsoft thwarts browser competition on Windows at every turn. First, browsers like Opera are locked out of important preinstallation opportunities," Opera's general counsel, Aaron McParlan, said in a statement.
"And then Microsoft frustrates users' ability to download and use alternative browsers," he said.
Microsoft had no immediate comment.
Opera, which said it is the third-most popular PC browser in Brazil, added that Microsoft's alleged tactics included giving incentives to major PC manufacturers to pre-instal Edge exclusively on Windows on all their Windows devices.
Opera also alleged that Microsoft used anti-competitive measures such as design tactics or dark patterns to steer PC users away from rival browsers to Edge.
Opera called on CADE to investigate Microsoft and to demand concessions to ensure fair competition.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Stephen Coates)
An antitrust complaint is a legal accusation that a company is engaging in unfair competition practices that violate antitrust laws, which are designed to promote fair competition and prevent monopolies.
A default browser is the web browser that is automatically used to open web pages when a user clicks on links or types a URL, unless another browser is specified by the user.
Anti-competitive practices are actions taken by companies to reduce or eliminate competition in a market, which can include monopolistic behavior, price fixing, and exclusive agreements.
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