News about antitrust

Britain's Competition and Markets Authority has proposed giving Microsoft 'strategic market status' in business software, which could lead to rules on how it bundles products such as Excel, Teams and Copilot. The CMA's investigation, opened in May, looked at software used by around 20 million people a month in Britain and found Microsoft holds a strong position, with barriers making it hard for customers to switch. Microsoft disagrees, saying all its products, including Copilot, are open and interoperable. The CMA will seek views and make a final decision by February, including whether customers can freely choose AI tools and whether rivals can compete with Copilot. If confirmed, Microsoft would be the third company under the UK's digital markets regime, after Google and Apple.