TLDR
- The French antitrust authority, Autorité de la Concurrence, dismissed Qwant’s complaint against Microsoft regarding alleged monopolistic practices in the search engine sector.
- Qwant accused Microsoft of enforcing exclusivity constraints and prioritising its own interests in search advertising distribution.
- The ruling stated that Qwant failed to provide compelling evidence to substantiate its allegations.
- Historically, Qwant has relied on Microsoft’s Bing platform for its search and news services.
- Microsoft welcomed the decision, reaffirming its commitment to delivering superior search services within Europe.
Today marked a significant triumph for Microsoft in France, as the country’s antitrust regulatory body dismissed complaints lodged by a competing search entity, Qwant. The Autorité de la Concurrence ruled that claims alleging Microsoft’s abuse of its dominant market position lacked merit.
The French search engine accused Microsoft of engaging in anticompetitive practices detrimental to its growth. Specifically, Qwant contended that Microsoft imposed exclusivity clauses that hindered its ability to expand its search engine and artificial intelligence capabilities.
Additionally, Qwant alleged that Microsoft granted itself preferential access to search advertising slots. However, the French authority found these assertions unconvincing.
“Qwant’s allegations related to dominant market position and economic reliance are unfounded,” the authority remarked in its decision. The regulator concluded that Qwant had not provided adequate evidence to support its claims.
Interestingly, Qwant has historically utilised Microsoft’s Bing platform to deliver its search and news outcomes, which contextualises this ongoing legal struggle.
Qwant Plans to Fight Back
Anticipating this outcome, Qwant expressed its intention to challenge the ruling, foreshadowing its plans to appeal in court or seek intervention from other regulatory agencies.
Microsoft swiftly acknowledged the ruling, with a company representative affirming their alignment with the decision while reiterating a commitment to offering quality search services. The statement underlined Microsoft’s determination to promote innovation for consumers and partners throughout France and Europe.
Moreover, the regulatory body denied Qwant’s plea for an interim injunction against Microsoft, implying that no temporary constraints would be enforced on Microsoft’s operations during the ongoing legal skirmishes.
Microsoft’s European Challenges
Beyond its relationship with Qwant, Microsoft supplies search capabilities to various smaller European search engines, including Ecosia, DuckDuckGo, and Lilo.
This incident is not Microsoft’s inaugural encounter with European regulators this year. The tech giant recently concluded a separate antitrust issue with the European Union concerning the bundling of its Teams collaboration software with Office 365 and Microsoft 365 subscriptions for business clientele.
Microsoft proactively agreed to measures to mitigate competition concerns in that case, a resolution reached following intensive pressure from EU authorities regarding its product packaging methodologies.
As scrutiny of U.S. technology firms intensifies in Europe, regulators are increasingly interrogating industry dominance across various domains, including search functionalities and artificial intelligence.
At this time, Qwant has not responded to inquiries concerning the ruling. The French company is poised to determine its subsequent course of action in the coming weeks.
Source link: Parameter.io.
