Microsoft faces comprehensive antitrust investigation in the United States

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is conducting a broad investigation into Microsoft's antitrust practices, focusing on its software licensing and cloud computing businesses.

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved a major antitrust investigation into Microsoft ahead of Chairwoman Lina Khan's expected departure in January. The move comes as Donald Trump's re-election as president has raised expectations that he may appoint a new FTC chief with a softer approach to corporations, making the outcome of the investigation uncertain.

The FTC is investigating allegations that Microsoft abused its dominant position in the productivity software market by imposing unfavorable licensing terms that restricted customers from transferring data from its Azure cloud service to rival platforms. Sources also confirmed that the investigation extends to activities related to cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI), including the integration of AI tools in products like Office and Outlook.

Additionally, the FTC is looking into a $650 million settlement between Microsoft and AI startup Inflection AI, as well as allegations of unfair competition in the AI ​​and cloud computing sectors.

Microsoft's rivals, including Amazon and Google, have criticized the company's licensing policies, saying they create barriers to keeping customers in the Azure ecosystem. NetChoice, an advocacy group representing major tech companies, has accused Microsoft of using its dominant position in productivity software to heavily influence the market.

Google recently filed a complaint with the European Commission, accusing Microsoft of raising software licensing prices by up to 400% to rival cloud operators and delivering security updates more slowly.

“Even if an administration changes, ongoing investigations won’t necessarily be dropped, but enforcement priorities could change,” said Andre Barlow, an antitrust lawyer.

While the Trump administration has previously aggressively enforced antitrust laws, including lawsuits against Google and Facebook, it is unclear whether that will continue in the new term. However, Microsoft has benefited from Trump policies in the past, such as a $10 billion Pentagon contract that Amazon has accused of being influenced by political pressure.

The antitrust investigation poses a major challenge to Microsoft as it expands its presence in key areas like cloud computing and artificial intelligence. With political shifts on the horizon, the outcome of the investigation will be an important factor in shaping Microsoft’s future and the FTC’s strategy toward large technology companies.

According to Intellectual Property

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