CISPE refutes claim of imminent antitrust settlement with Microsoft
The Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe (CISPE) has denied reports suggesting it is close to settling its antitrust complaint against Microsoft. CISPE, which includes Amazon and 26 smaller EU cloud providers, lodged a complaint with the European Commission in 2022, alleging that Microsoft's new contractual terms were negatively impacting Europe's cloud computing ecosystem. Contrary to reports by Politico, no agreement has been reached, and any potential offer would need to be approved by CISPE's General Assembly.
The complaint centers around Microsoft's cloud-licensing practices, which CISPE claims limit competition and reduce choices for European customers. Although there were suggestions that Microsoft might offer a multimillion-euro settlement, including separate payments to individual companies, CISPE maintains that no formal agreement is in place. The proposed settlement, if accepted, would also involve CISPE and its members refraining from filing further legal complaints against Microsoft globally.
