Cloud trade body CISPE has denied claims it is nearing an agreement with Microsoft to settle an antitrust lawsuit over its cloud licensing regime.
Reports from Politico over the weekend suggested the trade body, which represents a host of cloud providers including AWS, was due to announce a “multi-million euro deal” with Microsoft to drop its complaint.
The report, which cited two unnamed sources, claimed that CISPE would withdraw its request for the European commission to investigate Microsoft’s cloud licensing practices.
Sources noted that the deal hadn’t yet been accepted by members of the trade group.
A spokesperson for CISPE told ITPro that no agreement with Microsoft has yet been made.
“Discussions with Microsoft are ongoing, and proposals have been made. However, no agreement has been reached,” the spokesperson said.
“CISPE remains committed to a principle-based remedy to bring an end to the harmful impact of unfair software licensing practices for all cloud customers seeking to run productivity software in the cloud of their choice.”
CISPE first filed a complaint with the European Commission in November 2022 amid claims that Microsoft’s software licensing terms were harming competition and restricting competitors in the European cloud computing market.
At the time, CISPE said Microsoft leveraged its dominant position in the productivity software space, adding that the practice “restricts choice and inflates cost” for European customers seeking to move to the cloud.
The legal dispute has been a long-running affair, but earlier this year positive steps toward a resolution materialized. In February, the trade group said it had begun official talks with Microsoft in an attempt to remedy the situation.
“As the foundation for discussions, CISPE has reiterated that any remedies and resolution must apply across the sector and to be accessible to all cloud customers in Europe,” CISPE said in a statement.
“Furthermore, any agreements will be made public, subject to scrutiny and monitoring by third parties.”
The trade group emphasized that the talks were still “at an early stage” and that any resolution would be dependent upon Microsoft implementing “effective remedies”.
-
Is the traditional MSP service desk dead?Industry Insights AI and B2C expectations are reshaping B2B service desks and MSP strategy
-
From phone calls to roll calls: 3CX has the answerHow Yellowgrid, a 3CX Platinum distributor, has taken advantage of 3CX Phone System’s customisable nature to create a time-saving solution already embraced by over 100 UK schools
-
Is AWS' cloud dominance waning? New stats show the hyperscaler's IaaS market share is decreasing while Microsoft and Google record gainsNews AWS maintained its lead in the IaaS market last year, but its share decreased while Microsoft and Google recorded gains.
-
‘Misses the mark’: Microsoft, AWS hit out at CMA cloud competition reportNews The CMA claims Microsoft and AWS are harming competition – the duo strongly disagree
-
US companies dominate the European cloud market – regional players are left fighting for scrapsNews Synergy data shows EU providers hold just 15% of the market despite rise in AI and drive for cloud sovereignty
-
What the new Microsoft Sovereign Cloud push means for European customersNews The tech giant is bolstering protections for regional users using public and private cloud services
-
Microsoft says it’ll protect EU cloud customers from shutdown demandsNews Microsoft president Brad Smith says the company will protect its EU cloud services from outside pressure
-
The Wiz acquisition stakes Google's claim as the go-to hyperscaler for cloud security – now it’s up to AWS and industry vendors to reactAnalysis The Wiz acquisition could have monumental implications for the cloud security sector, with Google raising the stakes for competitors and industry vendors.
-
Microsoft’s EU data boundary project crosses the finish lineNews Microsoft has finalized its EU data boundary project aimed at allowing customers to store and process data in the region.
-
Microsoft hit with £1 billion lawsuit over claims it’s “punishing UK businesses” for using competitor cloud services
News Customers using rival cloud services are paying too much for Windows Server, the complaint alleges
