Google denounces Microsoft before Brussels for its cloud platform

This article was originally published in English

Google has filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission against Microsoft of course anti-competitive practices in its cloud licensing system.

The complaint concerns Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, which Google says prevents European customers move your workload to competing cloud systems.

Google claims that the platform locks clients through the Windows server (central to Microsoft applications and services that imposes economic sanctions on companies who want to use other cloud providers), as well as security or interoperability obstacles.

It is not the first time that Microsoft is in the crosshairs of the EU antitrust body for alleged unfair practices in the cloud market.

In 2022, the cloud lobby CISPE (Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe), backed by Amazon, filed a complaint with the European Commission over Microsoft’s contractual conditions. The case was archived last July after reaching a 22 million euro agreement with CISPE.

Amazon – AWS – Microsoft and Google lead the cloud infrastructure market worldwide, and the battle between the “Big Three” is fierce.

Microsoft is also facing the European Commission’s antitrust investigation that began on July 27 of last year on Teams, its communication and collaboration product. If dominant position is proven, lThe company could face a fine of up to 10% of its annual revenue.

Microsoft has amicably resolved similar problems raised by other European cloud service providers, even after Google expected them to continue litigating, a company spokesperson said, adding: “Having failed in its attempt to persuade European companies, we expect Google to equally fail in its attempt to persuade the European Commission”.