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A South African antitrust agency is gearing up to launch an investigation into Microsoft regarding its cloud computing licensing practices, as disclosed by a source with direct knowledge of the matter to Reuters on Thursday.
According to the source, the investigation in South Africa is anticipated to echo the European Union’s antitrust case against Microsoft.
Responding to queries, Microsoft stated that it is not aware of any complaint lodged by the South African competition authority, as conveyed in an emailed statement.
As of now, South Africa’s competition agency has not provided immediate comment on the matter, despite a request for clarification from Reuters.
This move comes in the wake of the U.S. software giant facing a complaint from rivals in the European Union concerning its cloud computing licensing practices within the region.
An industry group named CISPE, which counts members such as Amazon.com and 26 small EU cloud providers, lodged a complaint in late 2022, alleging that Microsoft’s revised contractual terms were detrimental to Europe’s cloud computing ecosystem.
Microsoft adjusted its licensing terms in mid-2022 following complaints from competitors in Germany, Italy, Denmark, and France, who escalated their concerns to the EU competition watchdog.
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