French antitrust authority dismisses complaint against Microsoft
What's the story
The Autorite de la Concurrence, France's antitrust watchdog, has dismissed a complaint lodged by local search engine Qwant against tech giant Microsoft. The latter was accused of abusing its dominant market position. However, the watchdog found that Qwant did not provide sufficient evidence to support its claims and therefore did not take any interim action against Microsoft as requested by Qwant.
Legal strategy
Qwant's future plans after complaint dismissal
Qwant, which has been using Microsoft's Bing platform for search and news results, had anticipated the rejection of its complaint. The company now plans to either appeal against this decision in court or escalate the matter to other authorities. A Microsoft spokesperson welcomed the ruling and reiterated their commitment to providing high-quality search services while fostering innovation for consumers and partners in France and Europe.
Accusations
Allegations against Microsoft
Qwant accused Microsoft of imposing exclusivity restrictions on search results and advertising, which hindered its ability to develop its own search engine and artificial intelligence (AI). The French company also claimed that Microsoft gave itself preferential treatment in allocating search advertising. Despite these claims, the Autorite de la Concurrence found no sufficient evidence to back them up.
Market influence
Microsoft's role in search-engine syndication
Microsoft is a key player in the search-engine syndication market, providing search results to smaller European competitors like Ecosia, DuckDuckGo, and Lilo. The company's role in this sector highlights its influence on the European search engine landscape. However, despite these allegations from Qwant, Microsoft has continued to maintain its position as a leading provider of search services across Europe.