In the complaint, Qwant, which relies on Bing platform to provide search results, sought an interim action against the US tech giant ahead of launching a formal investigation into the matter.
Microsoft spokesperson told Reuters that the complaint lacked merit and that they are cooperating with the French regulator.The French regulatory will launch a formal antitrust investigation into the company if it finds substantial evidence raising competition concerns.
Under France’s competition rules, a company may face fine up to 10% of global turnover for infringement of antitrust regulation.
Microsoft’s European antitrust troubles
The company has been subject to a European Commission (EC) investigation since July 2023 over the tying of Teams platform, its communication and collaboration product, to its popular productivity applications included in the suites for businesses Office 365 and Microsoft 365.
Last month, the company Microsoft offered remedies to address the EC’s competition concerns. The company agreed to make available versions of these suites without Teams and at a reduced price. Moreover, it offered to allow customers to switch to suites without Teams, including in the framework of existing contracts.
These remedies will enter into force after receiving final approval from the EC. The regulator is presently consulting on the remedies.
Complaints from Slack Technologies, now owned by Salesforce, and German alfaview had prompted the EC investigation.
