Overview
- Italy’s Competition Authority launched a preliminary investigation on Monday into Microsoft Ireland Operations and Microsoft S.r.l. over alleged unfair commercial practices tied to Microsoft 365 price changes.
- The AGCM says information about the addition of Copilot and Designer was fragmented and did not clearly warn users that their subscription price would rise at renewal.
- Italian officials allege many customers were automatically migrated to more expensive Microsoft 365 plans unless they exercised their right of withdrawal, a practice the regulator calls potentially aggressive.
- Microsoft said it will cooperate with the inquiry and is committed to complying with Italian consumer protection rules while the probe develops.
- The move follows the UK Competition and Markets Authority’s strategic market status review of Microsoft’s business-software ecosystem and could lead European regulators to demand clearer renewals notices or new consumer remedies.