Microsoft is set to avoid a French antitrust investigation after regulators signaled plans to dismiss a complaint by local search engine Qwant, which had accused the U.S. tech giant of anti-competitive practices tied to its Bing search platform.
Qwant, which syndicates Bing results for its users, alleged that Microsoft’s contractual terms limited its ability to build an independent search business and unfairly favored Microsoft in search advertising. It had requested interim measures while regulators reviewed its case, but the French Competition Authority is now expected to reject the complaint, following an internal recommendation made in June.
Qwant CEO Olivier Abecassis said the company might appeal or take its case to European regulators. “We will pursue all legal avenues to protect our business from Microsoft’s abuse and defend our rights,” he said.
Microsoft welcomed the expected outcome, saying Qwant’s claims “lack merit” and that competition concerns are misplaced in a market still dominated by Google. The decision, anticipated within two weeks, would mark a reprieve for Microsoft as it faces growing regulatory scrutiny across Europe over AI and cloud services.
