Microsoft accused of “unfair practices” by three browser competitors

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Microsoft’s browser, Edge, must be designated as an access controller, a term defined by the DMA (the European regulation on digital markets), according to three of its competitors who sent a letter to the European Commission in mid-September.

On September 17, a trio of web browsers and the Open Web Advocacy collective joined forces to demand the same thing, reports ReutersThursday October 3. That Microsoft Edgethe default browser of the American company, is subject to the DMA, the Digital Markets Act. Last February, the European Commission excluded Edge from the scope of the new European regulation.

This text in fact only targets very large digital players. Its objective is to establish more competition between these companiesa sector until now dominated by Apple, Google, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft. All those designated as “gate keepers” will, for example, have to implement the interoperability of their services with competing applications, or the sharing of data: which will imply significant structural and economic changes for each of them.

For Edge, the European executive had chosen to exclude this browser from the DMA – and not to designate it as a gatekeeper – because the software giant does not hold enough market share in Europe compared to the all-powerful Google and its browser.

A point of view contested by these three competitors, Vivaldi, Waterfox, Wavebox as well as Open Web Advocacy, reports Reuters. The latter, in a letter addressed to the European Commission on September 17, deplore the “ unfair practices » from the American giant: by being the default browser for all Microsoft computers, Edge would be favored, to the detriment of its competitors. THE web browser moreover, well exceeds the 45 million monthly active users on the Old Continent, a threshold required – but sometimes not sufficient – by the DMA to be designated as a “gate keeper”, controller of access to a market.

Legal action taken by another browser, Opera

If the user had a screen to choose between several browsers, rivals could enter the market, they argue. “ It is essential that the European Commission reconsiders its position”they write. “ No platform-independent browser can aspire to match the advantage » What does Edge have on Windows?. “Edge is the most important gateway for consumers to download an independent browser on Windows PCs », They add.

Last July, another navigator, the Norwegian Operahad challenged the European Commission before the General Court of the European Union, for the same reason. The latter believed that Edge should not escape the DMA. This text must, he pleaded, “ create a level playing field for browsers on PCs, as was done with smartphones “.