According to a Reuters story, Alphabet’s Google and technology trade associations have complained to the Federal Trade Commission about what they claim are unfair business practices in the cloud, including those by Microsoft, the sector’s second-largest vendor by market share.
The statements were made in response to a US Agency request for information in March on security concerns and rivalry in the lucrative industry for data storage and processing capacity in the so-called cloud.
They also follow international investigations, such as a recent investigation by Europe’s antitrust body into Microsoft’s licensing arrangements, which were said to impede viral cloud adoption.
Fees for removing data from the clouds of different providers have also come under fire from the business. In one of the comments made by the general public on Tuesday, the business association NetChoice targeted Microsoft and Oracle.
Despite fierce competition in the cloud business, NetChoice, whose members include market leader Amazon.com, Meta Platforms, Google, and several smaller IT firms, said that certain suppliers utilize anti-competitive tactics to solidify their positions.
According to NetChoice, these practices include discouraging consumers from switching service providers in quest of more affordable prices, robust service options, and cutting-edge business solutions.
In its filing, Google said, “Licensing terms enforced by Microsoft, Oracle, and other legacy on-premises software providers distort competition in the cloud.”
Google claims that companies who purchased Microsoft software for their data centers are subject to limitations and costs when transferring those licenses to Microsoft’s leading cloud rivals.
The statements were consistent with those they had previously expressed. According to Reuters, Amazon has voiced disapproval of a similar nature.
Oracle and Microsoft did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment right away. Competitors have criticized Microsoft’s revisions as being inadequate although it has revised several terms in response to the criticism and said, for example, that it is dedicated to the development of a larger cloud community.
