French Antitrust Authority Dismisses Qwant‘s Complaint Against Microsoft
the French competition authority, Autorité de la Concurrence, has dismissed a complaint filed by French search engine Qwant against Microsoft (MSFT), alleging anti-competitive practices. The ruling, announced Thursday, centers on accusations that Microsoft abused its dominant position in the search engine market.
Qwant claimed Microsoft imposed restrictions on its access to search results and advertising, hindering its ability to develop a competitive search engine and related artificial intelligence technologies. Specifically, Qwant alleged Microsoft favored its own offerings when distributing search advertising. Qwant has historically utilized Microsoft’s Bing platform for its search and news results.
Though, the autorité de la Concurrence steadfast that Qwant did not provide sufficient evidence to support its claims. The regulator also rejected Qwant’s request for an injunction against Microsoft.
Microsoft welcomed the decision, stating it would continue to “provide high-quality search services and promote innovation for consumers and partners in France and across Europe.”
Qwant had anticipated the dismissal and previously indicated its intention to pursue the matter further, possibly through legal challenges or by appealing to other regulatory bodies.
Microsoft is a significant provider of syndicated search results, supplying them to Qwant and other smaller European search engines like Ecosia, DuckDuckGo, and Lilo. Qwant has not yet issued a response to the ruling.
