"Microsoft has avoided an EU fine after the US tech group offered concessions on how it packages together its Teams and Office products, ending a long-running antitrust investigation by the bloc's regulators. The probe, which began after a 2020 complaint from Slack, now part of Salesforce, accused Microsoft of abusing its market dominance by tying its video conferencing tool to its widely used suite of productivity applications."
"Since the initial complaint, Microsoft has unbundled Teams from Office 365 in the EU, but critics said the changes were too narrow. In May, the $3.7 trillion software giant promised concessions, such as continuing the Teams and Office separation for seven years. After a market test, Microsoft has since made additional commitments, such as publishing more information on so-called "interoperability" or the ability to use its products with others made by rivals."
An EU antitrust probe into Microsoft began after a 2020 complaint from Slack alleging that Microsoft tied its Teams video conferencing to the Office productivity suite. Microsoft unbundled Teams from Office 365 in the EU, though critics called the initial changes too narrow. In May, Microsoft offered concessions including maintaining Teams and Office separation for seven years. A subsequent market test led Microsoft to pledge additional commitments, such as publishing more information on interoperability with rival products. The EU regulator concluded those pledges restored fair competition and opened the market to other providers, avoiding a fine.
Read at Ars Technica
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