Published by Wanda Rich
Posted on March 17, 2022
2 min readLast updated: February 8, 2026
Add as preferred source on Google
PARIS (Reuters) – U.S. tech giant Microsoft is facing an antitrust complaint filed by three European rivals in the booming cloud computing business, one the plaintiffs said on Thursday.
PARIS (Reuters) – U.S. tech giant Microsoft is facing an antitrust complaint filed by three European rivals in the booming cloud computing business, one the plaintiffs said on Thursday.
The complaint, filed with the European Union’s competition watchdog months ago, alleges that Microsoft’s contractual and business practices make it costly and difficult for users of its cloud computing services to opt for those of a competitor, a source close to the matter said.
French cloud computing services provider OVHcloud confirmed in a statement that it had joined the complaint against Microsoft. A spokesperson for the company declined to give the names of the two other European plaintiffs.
“Through abusing its dominant position, Microsoft undermines fair competition and limits consumer choice in the cloud computing services market,” OVHcloud said.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report the news.
The European Commission confirmed that it had received a complaint, without elaborating.
“We’re continuously evaluating how we can best support partners and make Microsoft software available to customers across all environments, including those of other cloud providers,” a spokesperson for Microsoft said in response to an e-mail seeking comment.
(Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain; Additional reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Mark Porter)
Antitrust law refers to regulations that promote competition and prevent monopolies in the marketplace. These laws are designed to protect consumers from unfair business practices.
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services over the internet, allowing users to access and store data on remote servers instead of local computers.
The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, and managing the day-to-day operations of the EU.
Contractual practices involve the terms and conditions agreed upon by parties in a contract. These practices can influence business relationships and market dynamics.
Explore more articles in the Top Stories category
