Microsoft it may face an allegation of abuse of dominance with respect to its cloud services, managed through the Azure division, which has long been growing steadily globally. The way in which the company makes the Office package available to its cloud customers is weighing on the issue.
Microsoft: abuse of dominant position in Europe for cloud services?
As reported today by the Wall Street Journal, these days, the French company OVHcloud filed a complaint with the European authorities for abuse of a dominant position by Microsoft. The complaint filed by the French company, which specializes in cloud services, focuses on how Microsoft licenses its products, such as the package Office. Licensing methods make it more expensive to use cloud services that compete with AzureMicrosoft’s cloud service.
Office and Azure together
The ability to offer one real synergy between Office solutions and the Azure platform results in a competitive advantage for Microsoft which, in fact, would limit competition in the field of cloud services. Note, however, that Microsoft has made it clear that its services also fully support rival platforms, without hindering their activities in any way.
For the moment, there is no precise information regarding the possible consequences linked to the intervention of the regulatory authorities in the sector. The allegations made by OVHcloud, of course, will be analyzed. In the future, therefore, important updates on the issue could arrive.