Microsoft Teams Settlement Offer Ends EU Abuse Probe

Microsoft has reached a settlement with the European Union regarding an antitrust investigation into the alleged illegal bundling of its Teams video-conferencing app. Under the terms of the agreement, Microsoft has agreed to make changes to its practices to address the EU's concerns. The settlement allows Microsoft to avoid a potentially significant fine from the EU. The investigation focused on Microsoft's alleged tying of Teams to its Office 365 productivity suite, which the EU believed could have hindered competition in the video-conferencing market. As part of the settlement, Microsoft has committed to offering European customers the option to acquire Office products without Teams, providing more transparency about its bundling practices, and ensuring fair and non-discriminatory access to APIs and other technical information for competing video-conferencing providers. The agreement marks the end of the EU's antitrust probe into Microsoft's practices, allowing the company to move forward without the threat of a major penalty. The settlement highlights the ongoing scrutiny of tech giants' business practices by European regulators.