Microsoft accused of using Windows to push OneDrive and Teams over rivals
Claims situation is reminiscent of what Microsoft previously did to the browser market
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
A coalition of software and cloud companies has filed a complaint with the European Commission (EC) againstMicrosoft’s anti-competitive behavior of bundling itsOneDrive cloud storage,Teams, and other services withWindows 10andWindows 11.
TheCoalition for a Level Playing Fieldincludes several European Union (EU)-based companies led byopen sourcehostedcloud storagevendorNextcloud.
“This is quite similar to what Microsoft did when it killed competition in the[web] browsermarket, stopping nearly all browser innovation for over a decade. Copy an innovators' product, bundle it with your own dominant product and kill their business, then stop innovating,” says Frank Karlitschek, CEO and founder ofNextcloud.
Big Tech
Arguing that Microsoft’s behavior is bad for the consumers, the coalition has asked the EC to enforce a level playing field for all the players, and ensure that Microsoft doesn’t leverage its dominant market position in theoperating systemsector to drive out competition in other segments.
Besides Nextcloud, the coalition includes several prominent open source, and non-profit organizations, such as European DIGITAL SME Alliance, theDocument Foundation,and the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE).
On theirhomepage, the coalition suggests that the anti-competitive behaviour of Big Tech is not only killing competition, but in doing so is harming the consumers and business.
“Microsoft is integrating[Microsoft] 365deeper and deeper in their service and software portfolio, including Windows. OneDrive is pushed wherever users deal with file storage and Teams is a default part ofWindows 11. This makes it nearly impossible to compete with theirSaaS[Software-as-a-Service] services,” reasons the coalition.
Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
To further drive home the point, it argues that while Microsoft,Google, andAmazonhave grown their market share to 66% in the EU, the share of local providers has contracted from 26% to 16%.
If you looking to make you business data omnipresent, these are thebest business cloud storage services
With almost two decades of writing and reporting on Linux, Mayank Sharma would like everyone to think he’sTechRadar Pro’sexpert on the topic. Of course, he’s just as interested in other computing topics, particularly cybersecurity, cloud, containers, and coding.
iStorage Group acquires Kanguru Solutions as it looks to expand security offering
Phishing attacks surge in 2024 as cybercriminals adopt AI tools and multi-channel tactics
Smeg Combi Steam Oven review: a multi-functional countertop oven that looks stunning and cooks well
