EU Accepts Microsoft Commitments on Teams Unbundling — Antitrust Case Closed

The European Commission has accepted Microsoft’s binding commitments to address competition concerns over the bundling of the Teams collaboration app with Microsoft/Office 365 productivity suites. As a result the formal antitrust case (AT.40721) is closed and Microsoft avoids a fine.

Key commitments

• Offer Office 365 and Microsoft 365 suites without Teams in the EU at an appreciably lower price.
• No discounts on Teams or on suites that include Teams.
• Provide effective interoperability for Teams competitors with some Microsoft products and services.
• Allow competitors to embed Office apps and enable export of Teams messaging data for use with rival services.
• Display suite options without Teams when advertising options that include Teams.

Duration & monitoring

Most commitments remain in force for 7 years; commitments related to interoperability and data portability remain in force for 10 years. A trustee will monitor Microsoft’s implementation to ensure compliance.

Official European Commission press release: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_2048

EU competition case page: https://competition-cases.ec.europa.eu/cases/AT.40721

Do you think the unbundling will meaningfully boost competition for business chat apps? Leave your thoughts below.