U.S. regulator opens wide-ranging antitrust probe into Microsoft

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission opened a broad antitrust investigation into Microsoft, a source claimed.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission opened a broad antitrust investigation into Microsoft, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, making it the latest Big Tech firm to come under scrutiny from regulators.

The FTC would be looking into its software licensing, cloud computing businesses, and practices related to cybersecurity and artificial intelligence products, the source added.

Here are some key cases against Big Tech:

The FTC's antitrust probe was approved by Chair Lina Khan ahead of her likely departure in January and the expectation that incoming President Donald Trump would appoint a fellow Republican with a softer approach toward business.

The antitrust investigation into Microsoft would also look into allegations that the software giant is potentially abusing its market power in productivity software by imposing punitive licensing terms to prevent customers from moving their data from its Azure cloud service to other competitive platforms, sources confirmed earlier this month.

In Alphabet's Google search case - where a federal judge ruled that the company broke the law with an illegal monopoly on online search - prosecutors argue that it should sell its Chrome browser, share data and search results and possibly even sell Android.

In December, Google will have a chance to propose its own remedies, after which U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta will hold a two-week trial on what remedies are appropriate in the case.