Microsoft Cloud Computing Will Change To Align With EU Wishes Next Month

Amended licensing deals and other changes making it easier for cloud service providers to compete will take effect on Oct. 1, Microsoft said on Monday, a move triggered by complaints about the US software company to EU antitrust regulators.

Microsoft President Brad Smith had announced the changes in May but did not say when they would be effective.

The company, which has been fined 1.6 billion euros ($1.6 billion) by the European Commission in the previous decade for various infringements, found itself once again in the EU’s crosshairs following complaints by cloud service providers in Germany, Italy, Denmark and France.

“On October 1, 2022, Microsoft will implement significant upgrades to our outsourcing and hosting terms that will benefit customers worldwide,” the company said in a blogpost.

The revised licensing deals mean customers can use their licenses on any European cloud provider delivering services to their own data centers.

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