Karlsruhe, 01 March 2024
alfaview officially ends discussions with Microsoft
alfaview officially ends discussions with Microsoft. Image source: shutterstock
Antitrust complaint by alfaview before the EU Commission regarding the bundling of Teams with Microsoft 365
The Karlsruhe-based IT company alfaview officially ends its settlement talks with Microsoft. Following the formal submission of an antitrust complaint by alfaview to the EU Commission, Microsoft had approached the German videoconferencing provider with a view to settling the dispute.
After several rounds of presentations, both via video call and at a personal meeting at alfaview's headquarters in Karlsruhe, it has become apparent that Microsoft has no serious interest in untying Teams from the 365 suite and pricing the product according to its actual costs. Such a measure would be necessary, however, to ensure fair competition in the European market.
In addition to the demand for an unbundling of Teams, alfaview emphasizes the need for transparent pricing of Teams based on actual costs. Cross-subsidization of the resource-intensive service Teams through other Microsoft products distorts competition. In alfaview’s view equivalent alternatives without Teams should be offered for all configurations of the Office 365 product range, for all business sectors, target groups, and market segments of the company, especially in the educational sector. Moreover, from alfaview's perspective, it is crucial that Microsoft also promotes its product packages equally in marketing and sales.
During the exchange with alfaview, Microsoft proposed alternatives, which however, failed to convince alfaview. Against this background, alfaview decided to further pursue the complaint against Microsoft before the EU Commission and to terminate settlement talks with Microsoft.
After several rounds of presentations, both via video call and at a personal meeting at alfaview's headquarters in Karlsruhe, it has become apparent that Microsoft has no serious interest in untying Teams from the 365 suite and pricing the product according to its actual costs. Such a measure would be necessary, however, to ensure fair competition in the European market.
In addition to the demand for an unbundling of Teams, alfaview emphasizes the need for transparent pricing of Teams based on actual costs. Cross-subsidization of the resource-intensive service Teams through other Microsoft products distorts competition. In alfaview’s view equivalent alternatives without Teams should be offered for all configurations of the Office 365 product range, for all business sectors, target groups, and market segments of the company, especially in the educational sector. Moreover, from alfaview's perspective, it is crucial that Microsoft also promotes its product packages equally in marketing and sales.
During the exchange with alfaview, Microsoft proposed alternatives, which however, failed to convince alfaview. Against this background, alfaview decided to further pursue the complaint against Microsoft before the EU Commission and to terminate settlement talks with Microsoft.
"We see ourselves alongside the EU Commission in standing up for competition and compliance with European law.
alfaview is committed to creating the competitive legal conditions necessary for European technologies and products to position themselves in the international market – only then can Europe remain competitive in terms of digital products. At the political level, it must be ensured that monopolies by US companies in Europe are not further solidified and extended to new markets – because we need innovative and efficient companies that drive forward Europe’s digital sovereignty."
alfaview also views with growing concern Microsoft's latest integrations in the field of artificial intelligence. The implementation of ChatGPT in Microsoft 365 (Copilot) and the integration of OpenAI technology into Microsoft's search engine (Bing) once again bring antitrust concerns into focus.
The company alfaview now hopes for a prompt decision by the EU Commission.
More information on alfaview's antitrust complaint at:
https://alfaview.com/en/antitrust/
For queries:
alfaview press team
presse@alfaview.com
The company alfaview now hopes for a prompt decision by the EU Commission.
More information on alfaview's antitrust complaint at:
https://alfaview.com/en/antitrust/
For queries:
alfaview press team
presse@alfaview.com