Japan's Fair Trade Commission has conducted an on-site investigation into the Japanese subsidiary of Microsoft on suspicion of violating antitrust laws, according to a report by Kyodo News on February 25.
The commission believes that Microsoft may be leveraging its dominant position in office software and operating systems to engage in unfair competition within the cloud services market.
Specifically, Japanese companies using Microsoft software on rival cloud platforms, such as Amazon, are reportedly required to pay higher fees compared to using the same software on Microsoft's own Azure cloud platform. Regulators view this differential pricing strategy as potentially coercing customers to switch to Microsoft's platform, thereby negatively impacting market competition.
Cloud services have become essential infrastructure for both businesses and individuals to store data and utilize software. The global cloud services market is highly competitive, with major players including Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.
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