European Union accuses Microsoft of breaching antitrust rules by bundling Teams with office software

By KELVIN CHAN
AP Business Writer

LONDON (AP) — European Union regulators have accused Microsoft of “possibly abusive” practices that violate the bloc’s antitrust rules by tying its Teams messaging and videoconferencing app to its widely used business software. The European Commission said it’s concerned the U.S. tech giant has been “restricting competition” by bundling Teams with its core office productivity applications such as Office 365 and Microsoft 365. The commission, the 27-nation bloc’s top antitrust enforcer, said it suspects Microsoft might have granted Teams a “distribution advantage.” Microsoft has since stopped packaging teams with Office in Europe but the commission said it’s not enough. Microsoft President Brad Smith said the company will work to find solutions to address the Commission‘s remaining concerns.”