Opera Accuses Microsoft of Anti-Competitive Edge Tactics

Opera will file a complaint against Microsoft to Brazilian antitrust authority CADE on Tuesday, alleging the tech giant gives its Edge browser an unfair advantage over competitors. Opera claims Microsoft pre-installs Edge as the default browser across Windows devices and prevents rivals from competing on product merits.

The company's general counsel Aaron McParlan said Microsoft locks browsers like Opera out of preinstallation opportunities and frustrates users' ability to download alternative browsers. Opera, which says it is Brazil's third-most popular PC browser, wants CADE to investigate Microsoft and demand concessions to ensure fair competition.

It's been tried before

[Cpt_Kirks]

Wonder if it will work this time?

Re:

[markdavis]

>"It's been tried before. Wonder if it will work this time?"

In Brazil, maybe? Probably not elsewhere.

At least last time, they were actually different browsers that were the basis of the complaints. This time, it is yet-another-Chrom* complaining about a different yet-another-Chrom* that is pre-installed. Yeah, there is some surface competition, but the real meaningful undercurrent is missed- all of them are propping up Google's control over the engine and "standards" (except Firefox and its relations)

Re:

[dsgrntlxmply]

I thought that edging was a lawn maintenance action that tended to throw rocks into one's face, and occasionally chop off toes.

weird

[GoTeam]

That doesn't sound like the Microsoft I know!

Microsoft Malware

[devslash0]

"Infecting your computer one update at the time".

A more accurate name and slogan for their product.

let's do the time warp again

[Turkinolith]

Is it 2000 all over again?

Next lets do Apple for forcing Safari on iOS

[LodCrappo]

At least microsoft allows you to install a different browser engine

What are they talking about?

[Lanforod]

" frustrates users' ability to download alternative browsers"

Has anyone ever been unable to download and install xyz browser? C'mon now.
Ultimately, isn't this true for every OS provider that also makes a browser? Android comes with Chrome. iOS comes with Safari, MacOS comes with Safari, Windows comes with Edge. ChromeOS basically IS a browser. It's normal.

One thing they may have merit on is that MS has been baking features like Smartscreen in that other browsers don't have but those are primarily o

Re:

[markdavis]

>>" frustrates users' ability to download alternative browsers"
>"Has anyone ever been unable to download and install xyz browser? C'mon now. "

I think maybe the OP didn't mean "download" as much as "download and use"? I don't use MS-Windows, nor Chrom*, but my understanding is that Microsoft has, multiple times, gone behind users and made Edge the default browser, even after installing and setting up a different one as default. Or just ignoring the user's settings when opening PDF files, links in

Re:

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

Aside from various occasions when Edge just seems to grab defaults(particularly from PDFs); there's the "second chance out of box experience" that is specifically designed to periodically assist you in repenting of whatever bad-customer choices you may have made during the OOBE; and (at least from mid-2023 or so, possibly earlier) Office will default to opening links in Edge rather than default browser in order to, more seamless or something. There are also a lot of places in the Windows UI(like links in th

So, what have they said about Apple and Google?

[quall]

Every OS comes pre-installed with a browser. So why is Microsoft singled out?

I don't see how Opera can make this argument anymore. People are literally installing Chrome on Windows and use it more than Edge. If it's an unfair advantage, then wouldn't the most widely-used browser on Windows be Edge instead of a 3rd party browser that users download and install separately? And we're not talking about a small difference in market share.

Why should a company offer an OS, and then have a bunch of competitor softw

Re:

[JThundley]

No other OS injects popup ads on top of the browser begging you not to switch. In other places they insist their default choices are better for you.

Re:

[viperidaenz]

And they keep on reminding you to switch back to Edge with every OS feature update.

MS, anti competitive?

[RUs1729]

Say it ain't so!

Microsoft jagged experience

[Mirnotoriety]

Some time back Microsoft wrote a CSS file to move the fonts one pixel to the left. This CSS file was served up by IIS only to opera browsers. Thereby making viewing websites in Opera a jagged experience.

Why do so few people use Edge, then?

[Guspaz]

If Edge being pre-installed on Windows is somehow an anti-competitive move that prevents other browsers from catching on, then why does Edge only have a 5% market share?

Opera's arguments will fail

[thegarbz]

On the basis of Edge's low user numbers it's clear other browsers are competing just fine. Opera doesn't have much of a leg to stand on, especially in the USA where antitrust rulings are based on outcome and impact rather than actions.

The outcome is not that Edge is some monopolistic behemoth. If anything that is Chrome.