Microsoft changes software license terms for European market

Microsoft has announced changes to its cloud service license terms, following numerous complaints from European providers. Competent authorities have become interested in Microsoft activities as the corporation was reported to violate antitrust laws, having the drop on rivals. 

The shifts will concern clients of rival companies which provide cloud services in Europe. Thus, this will assist in correlating their existing software to other systems. The new conditions also ensure that Microsoft affiliates are accessed to the company's products to make cost-effective decisions.

These changes come into practice on October 1st. In fact, the terms mainly apply to European cloud service providers, but other consumers will also receive an updated license agreement. The rules won't have force over Amazon.com Inc. and Google Alphabet Inc., two of Microsoft's largest cloud computing competitors, and China's Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. 

The European Commission has launched a formal investigation into Microsoft’s market dominance. So, the executive requested feedback from the corporation's rivals, following a complaint last year by OVHcloud. The French company claimed that the giant’s licensing terms placed OVHcloud at a disadvantage. Pairing cloud services with Microsoft products is not always successful. However, the option of pairing Windows, Office, and Windows Server with Microsoft's own Azure cloud is cheaper for consumers. Thus, the company violates antitrust laws. Microsoft Vice President Brad Smith noted that the corporation is about to take steps to improve its practices.

“Not all the claims are valid, but some of them are. We modify our terms,” Smith said.

Last month, Smith has already mentioned the changes in licensing rules. Therefore, customer complaints are related to the company deliberately increasing the launching costs of its own products with rival services, including Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform. There are instances when licensing terms prohibit using Microsoft products with other cloud systems.