Microsoft close to resolving EU antitrust complaint through settlements
Microsoft is reportedly nearing an agreement with the Amazon-backed cloud lobby, Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe (CISPE), to withdraw an antitrust complaint filed with the European Commission. This information was disclosed by Politico, citing industry insiders familiar with the proposal. The deal, still pending acceptance by CISPE members, could lead to the termination of an investigation into Microsoft's cloud-licensing agreements.
Details of the proposed settlement
The proposed settlement could involve a possible multimillion-euro payment to CISPE, and possibly separate payments to individual companies. CISPE, which counts Amazon and 26 smaller EU cloud providers among its members, initially lodged its complaint in late 2022. The group alleged that Microsoft's new contractual terms, introduced on October 1, were adversely affecting Europe's cloud computing ecosystem.
Global legal complaints against Microsoft to cease
As part of the proposed settlement, CISPE and its member companies would agree not to file any legal complaints against Microsoft worldwide. This development was first reported by Reuters in February, stating that Microsoft was in talks with CISPE to end the European Union antitrust complaint about the software giant's cloud licensing practices. As of now, neither Microsoft, Amazon, CISPE nor the European Commission have answered to requests for comment outside regular business hours, says Reuters.
