Grapevine

German antitrust watchdog steps up monitoring of Microsoft

Germany's anti-cartel watchdog said Monday it had placed US tech giant Microsoft under closer surveillance for any possible abuse of its market position.

The Federal Cartel Office said it had determined Microsoft was "of paramount significance for competition across markets", a move that would allow the watchdog to take action and prohibit "anti-competitive practices".

Microsoft joins Apple, Amazon, Google parent company Alphabet, and Meta in falling under reinforced monitoring made possible by the German Competition Act, which came into force in 2021.

The act allows the watchdog, known in German as the Bundeskartellamt, to intervene earlier, particularly against the world's tech giants.

"Microsoft's many products are omnipresent in companies, authorities and private households and have become indispensable," Bundeskartellamt president Andreas Mundt said in a statement.