To avoid a potential EU antitrust inquiry and fine, Microsoft (MSFT.O) has proposed to charge different pricing for its Office package with and without its Teams software, according to two individuals familiar with the situation.
Since the European Commission received a complaint from the Salesforce-owned (CRM.N) workspace messaging app Slack, Microsoft has been attempting to allay its worries, other people with knowledge of the situation told Reuters in December.
In 2020, Slack claimed that Microsoft had improperly incorporated Teams, a video and chat application for the workplace, into its Office product. In 2017, the American IT giant launched Teams in an effort to capture the lucrative and quickly expanding workplace collaboration industry.
On Thursday, the European Commission stated that Slack was not the only complainant.
“Regarding Microsoft’s behaviour in connection to its Teams product, we have heard a number of complaints, including from Slack. As you are aware, the evaluation is ongoing, thus we are unable to comment further “explained a spokeswoman.
Microsoft said it continued to engage cooperatively with the Commission and was “open to pragmatic solutions that address its concerns and serve customers well”.
Salesforce declined to comment.
The EU antitrust watchdog is seeking feedback from Microsoft rivals on its proposal, the people said.
In the last decade, the European Commission fined Microsoft 2.2 billion euros ($2.4 billion) for practices in breach of EU competition rules, including tying or bundling two or more products together.
($1 = 0.9092 euros)