Microsoft Cloud Service Under Scrutiny From EU Antitrust Arm (bloomberg.com) 10
Microsoft's Azure cloud business has been targeted by the European Union's antitrust arm, amid concerns the US software firm is leveraging its market power to squeeze out rivals. From a report: As part of an informal probe, regulators are quizzing competitors and customers about how Microsoft may be abusing its access to business-sensitive information belonging to cloud firms it has commercial dealings with, according to documents seen by Bloomberg. EU antitrust enforcers want to know whether Microsoft then leverages such confidential information to compete with cloud-service providers on the market, said two people familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The EU's escalation follows on the heels of a series of complaints from cloud firms over Microsoft's behavior -- including CISPE, an industry group with links to Amazon.com's Amazon Web Services. The scrutiny of cloud competition coincides with Microsoft's efforts to convince regulators around the world to approve its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, publisher of blockbuster game Call of Duty. The European Commission, the EU watchdog, on Monday conditionally approved the tie-up, just weeks after the UK's competition authority vetoed it.
The EU's escalation follows on the heels of a series of complaints from cloud firms over Microsoft's behavior -- including CISPE, an industry group with links to Amazon.com's Amazon Web Services. The scrutiny of cloud competition coincides with Microsoft's efforts to convince regulators around the world to approve its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, publisher of blockbuster game Call of Duty. The European Commission, the EU watchdog, on Monday conditionally approved the tie-up, just weeks after the UK's competition authority vetoed it.
Re: (Score:1)
Modded down again for telling the truth; by a Microsoft employee no less!
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
How about you guys come up with something competitive on your own and quit milking US companies?
What?!
Why ask Europeans to interupt their 30 hour work weeks, multi-week package holidays, alcohol swilling, cheese devouring, bread scarfing ways to actually work at doing something creative?
Re:Hey EU, yeah YOU (Score:4, Insightful)
You probably do not understand what antitrust is and why it is really important to keep an economy working well long-term. Understandably, the US has not had meaningful anti-trust for decades and it shows.
Re: Hey EU, yeah YOU (Score:2)
Azure is in no way a monopoly, they aren't even in first place, they have all kinds of competition. AWS, GCP, etc.
Re: (Score:2)
This is not about being a monopoly. This is about anti-competitive business practices. Antitrust is a bit more than just looking at size.
Re: (Score:2)
Hard to be competitive or anticompetitive if the EU isn't even offering up any competition at all. They just sit around and whine about everything but don't do anything.
Yes (Score:2)
Is the answer when the question begins "Does Microsoft abuse ..."
* their users? Yes.
* its desktop/office monopolies? Yes.
* open standards? Yes.
* its business partners and retailers? Yes.
* the patent system? Yes.
* the legal system? Yes.
* network security? Yes.
* your trust? Yes.
* your privacy? Yes.
* your ignorance? Yes.
* baby seals? Sure, why not?
Come on EU! If you've been paying the slightest attention to the past 30 years you wouldn't even have to ask. Microsoft is the digital equivalent of big tobacco, sug