The file
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Microsoft

Tech giant known for Windows, Office software, Azure cloud computing, Xbox, and major AI investments.

Entries
45
On the record
24
Stories
2
Latest entry
Oct 16, 2026

The record

Compiled by the MrScandal desk from the documents below ยท Desk editor Laima ฤ’rkลกฤทe-Kreicberga ยท Nov 12, 2026

Microsoft was founded in 1975 and is based at One Microsoft Way in Redmond, Washington, where Satya Nadella is chairman and chief executive. Its antitrust record starts with United States v. Microsoft, filed by the Justice Department on May 18, 1998. Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson found in November 1999 that Microsoft held monopoly power in PC operating systems and in June 2000 ordered the company split in two. In June 2001 the D.C. Circuit upheld the core monopoly-maintenance finding but vacated the break-up, citing the judge's secret interviews with the press. The Justice Department settled that November, and the consent decree entered in November 2002 restricted how Microsoft dealt with PC makers and rival software.

Europe produced the fines. The European Commission fined Microsoft 497.2 million euros in 2004 over server interoperability and Windows Media Player, added penalty payments of 280.5 million euros in 2006 and 899 million euros in 2008 for failing to comply, and fined it 561 million euros in 2013 for breaking its browser-choice commitment. That is 2.24 billion euros imposed in all. The Teams case opened in 2023 ended in September 2025 with binding commitments rather than a fine. Other penalties came from U.S. agencies over bribery in Hungary in 2019 and sanctions breaches in 2023, from the FTC over Xbox children's data in 2023, and from Ireland, which fined LinkedIn 310 million euros in 2024.

The $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard purchase drew the largest recent fight. The FTC sued in December 2022 and lost its injunction bid in July 2023. Britain's competition authority blocked the deal in April 2023, then cleared a restructured version that October, and the deal closed the same day. The Ninth Circuit upheld the FTC's loss in May 2025, and the FTC dropped the case. The open matters are about cloud and AI: an FTC investigation of licensing and bundling that Bloomberg reported was widening in February 2026, a UK proposal of October 2026 to give Microsoft strategic market status in business software, an Australian consumer case over Copilot pricing, and copyright suits over OpenAI's models.

Questions people ask

What was the Microsoft antitrust case?

United States v. Microsoft was the Justice Department's 1998 case over Windows and the Internet Explorer browser. After a 76-day bench trial, the district court found Microsoft held monopoly power in Intel-compatible PC operating systems and had illegally maintained it. On June 28, 2001 the D.C. Circuit affirmed that core finding, reversed the attempted-monopolization finding, sent the tying claim back for a new hearing and vacated the remedy. source

Was Microsoft broken up?

No. The trial court ordered a split in its Final Judgment of June 7, 2000, but the D.C. Circuit vacated that order in June 2001 because the trial judge had given secret interviews to the press, and it sent the case to a different judge. The Justice Department settled on November 2, 2001. The settlement banned retaliation against PC makers and exclusive deals, and it required Microsoft to license Windows to the main PC makers on uniform terms for five years. source

How much has the EU fined Microsoft?

The European Commission's antitrust penalties total 2.24 billion euros: a 497.2 million euro fine in March 2004, a 280.5 million euro penalty payment in July 2006, an 899 million euro penalty payment in February 2008, and a 561 million euro fine in March 2013. The 2013 fine was for failing to show the browser choice screen to Windows 7 users from May 2011 to July 2012, the first time the Commission fined a company for breaking commitments it had agreed to. source

Did the FTC block Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal?

No. A district court denied the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction on July 10, 2023, the merger closed on October 13, 2023, and on May 7, 2025 the Ninth Circuit affirmed that denial, holding the FTC had not shown it was likely to succeed, including on its claim that Microsoft would make Call of Duty exclusive. The FTC dismissed its administrative complaint on May 22, 2025. source

Is the FTC investigating Microsoft?

Yes, according to Bloomberg. In February 2026 it reported that the FTC had sent civil investigative demands to at least six Microsoft rivals in business software and cloud computing, asking about licensing and whether Microsoft illegally monopolizes enterprise computing with its cloud and AI products, including Copilot. No enforcement action has been filed. source

Why is Microsoft named in the New York Times lawsuit?

The Times sued Microsoft together with several OpenAI companies in the Southern District of New York on December 27, 2023, alleging that millions of its articles were copied without permission to build the GPT models behind ChatGPT and Microsoft's Copilot. It seeks billions of dollars in statutory and actual damages. The case has not been decided. source

Has Microsoft paid U.S. fines for bribery or sanctions violations?

Yes. In July 2019 Microsoft agreed to pay the SEC about $16.6 million without admitting or denying its findings on improper payments through subsidiaries in Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Turkey. Microsoft Hungary also agreed to an $8.75 million criminal fine under a non-prosecution agreement with the Justice Department. Separately, in April 2023 Microsoft agreed to pay about $3.3 million to Treasury's OFAC and Commerce's BIS over software sales to sanctioned countries and parties. source

What is the UK doing about Microsoft's business software?

On October 16, 2026 the Competition and Markets Authority proposed to designate Microsoft with strategic market status in its business software ecosystem, covering products such as Word, Excel, Teams, Copilot and its security and server software. The CMA named bundling and cloud licensing as areas for possible action. Its findings are provisional, a final decision is due by February 2027, and designation does not assume wrongdoing. source

Roles and honours on the record

  • 1975 Founded; headquartered at One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Washington source
  • 1998-2002 Defendant, United States v. Microsoft Corporation (browser and middleware), D.D.C. No. 98-1232 source
  • 2023-present Owner of Activision Blizzard, maker of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush source
  • 2025-present Holder of about 27 percent of OpenAI Group PBC on an as-converted diluted basis, valued at about $135 billion at the October 2025 recapitalization source
  • as of 2026 Led by chairman and chief executive Satya Nadella source

Every entry, newest first

Last entry Nov 2024
  1. Ruled

    Court dismissed all of The Intercept's claims against Microsoft, The Intercept reported. Judge OKs Anthropic's $1.5B authors' deal; OpenAI case waits

  2. Reported

    With OpenAI, called the Times's journalism-threat claim 'pure fiction' in a response, per the East Bay Times. New York Times v OpenAI: 'billions' sought, fair use claimed

  3. Filed

    New York Times sued Microsoft and OpenAI in Manhattan federal court, No. 23-11195; Microsoft did not respond to Reuters. Judge OKs Anthropic's $1.5B authors' deal; OpenAI case waits

Stories in this file

Sam Altman: FILEDBusiness ยท 6d ago

โš–๏ธ New York Times v OpenAI: 'billions' sought, fair use claimed

The Times seeks 'billions of dollars'; OpenAI and Microsoft say training is fair use. No merits ruling appears in the record read. โณ

Marble columns and steps of the US Supreme Court under a blue sky (stock photo)RANKEDPhoto: Mark Stebnicki ยท Pexels License
Business ยท 7d ago

๐Ÿค– Judge OKs Anthropic's $1.5B authors' deal; OpenAI case waits

One court-approved payout for pirated books, one fair-use ruling on training, no merits ruling yet in the Times suit. OpenAI says its use is fair. โณ

The record, entry by entry

United States v. Microsoft

  1. 1998-05-18 Filed The Justice Department filed its browser and middleware antitrust case against Microsoft in federal court in Washington, according to the department's case file. Justice Department Antitrust Division case page
  2. 1999-11-05 Ruled After a 76-day bench trial, the district court issued its findings of fact, finding that Microsoft had monopoly power in Intel-compatible PC operating systems, protected by a high barrier to entry and the lack of a commercially viable alternative to Windows. Court's findings of fact (Justice Department copy)
  3. 2000-04-03 Ruled The district court issued its conclusions of law, holding Microsoft liable under the Sherman Act. D.C. Circuit opinion, No. 00-5212 (Justice Department copy)
  4. 2000-06-07 Ruled The district court issued its Final Judgment on remedies, ordering Microsoft split into separate companies, after a single hearing and without the evidentiary hearing Microsoft had asked for. D.C. Circuit opinion, No. 00-5212 (Justice Department copy)
  5. 2001-06-28 Ruled The D.C. Circuit, per curiam, affirmed in part and reversed in part the finding that Microsoft illegally maintained its operating-system monopoly, reversed the attempted-monopolization finding, remanded the tying claim, and vacated the remedial order requiring a split. It held that the trial judge's secret interviews with the press had tainted the proceedings and sent the case to a different trial judge. D.C. Circuit opinion, No. 00-5212 (Justice Department copy)
  6. 2001-11-02 Official The Justice Department announced a settlement, to be filed with Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, that barred retaliation against PC makers and software developers that used rival middleware, banned certain exclusive agreements and required Microsoft to license Windows to key PC makers on uniform terms for five years. Justice Department press release
  7. 2002-11-12 Ruled The district court entered the final judgment in the case; the Justice Department lists a modified final judgment dated September 7, 2006. Justice Department Antitrust Division case page

European Commission antitrust cases

  1. 2004-03-24 Official The European Commission fined Microsoft 497.2 million euros for abusing its market power, ordering it to disclose interface documentation to rival work group server makers and to offer a version of Windows without Windows Media Player. European Commission press release IP/04/382
  2. 2006-07-12 Official The Commission imposed a penalty payment of 280.5 million euros for Microsoft's continued failure to supply complete and accurate interface documentation for work group servers, as the 2004 decision required. European Commission press release IP/06/979
  3. 2007-09 Ruled The EU Court of First Instance upheld the Commission's 2004 decision against Microsoft, the Commission said in a later release. European Commission press release IP/08/318
  4. 2008-02-27 Official The Commission imposed an 899 million euro penalty payment, finding Microsoft charged unreasonable prices for interoperability information before October 22, 2007, in breach of the 2004 decision. European Commission press release IP/08/318
  5. 2009-12-16 Official The Commission made binding Microsoft's commitment to offer European Windows users a choice screen among web browsers and to let PC makers and users turn off Internet Explorer, closing its concern that the browser was tied to Windows. European Commission press release IP/09/1941
  6. 2013-03-06 Official The Commission fined Microsoft 561 million euros for failing to roll out its committed browser choice screen with Windows 7 Service Pack 1 from May 2011 to July 2012, the first fine for breaching a commitments decision. Microsoft acknowledged the failure. European Commission press release IP/13/196
  7. 2024-06-25 Official The Commission sent Microsoft a statement of objections, its preliminary view that tying Teams to Office 365 and Microsoft 365 since at least April 2019 breached EU antitrust rules. The Commission said the step did not prejudge the outcome. European Commission press release IP/24/3446
  8. 2025-09-12 Reported The European Commission accepted Microsoft's commitments in the Teams case, including selling Office 365 and Microsoft 365 suites without Teams at a lower price, ending the case with binding commitments, RTE reported. The case followed complaints from Slack and alfaview. RTE News report

Activision Blizzard deal

  1. 2022-01-18 Official Microsoft announced it would acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion and reported the planned merger to the FTC. Ninth Circuit opinion, FTC v. Microsoft, No. 23-15992
  2. 2022-12-08 Filed The FTC filed an administrative complaint challenging the Activision Blizzard deal, docket No. 9412. FTC case page
  3. 2023-04-26 Ruled Britain's Competition and Markets Authority blocked the Activision deal, finding Microsoft already held an estimated 60 to 70 percent of global cloud gaming and rejecting its ten-year behavioural remedy. Competition and Markets Authority press release
  4. 2023-05-15 Ruled The European Commission cleared the Activision deal on condition that Microsoft honour ten-year licensing commitments, including a free licence letting consumers in the European Economic Area stream Activision games they own through any cloud gaming service. European Commission press release IP/23/2705
  5. 2023-07-10 Ruled After a five-day hearing, the district court denied the FTC's motion for a preliminary injunction, finding the agency had not raised serious questions about whether the merger was likely to substantially lessen competition. Ninth Circuit opinion, FTC v. Microsoft, No. 23-15992
  6. 2023-10-13 Ruled The CMA cleared a restructured deal under which Ubisoft, not Microsoft, acquired the cloud streaming rights outside the European Economic Area to Activision's PC and console games for the next 15 years. Competition and Markets Authority press release
  7. 2023-10-13 Official The Activision Blizzard merger closed on the same day the CMA approved it. Ninth Circuit opinion, FTC v. Microsoft, No. 23-15992
  8. 2025-05-07 Ruled The Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of the FTC's motion for a preliminary injunction, holding the FTC had not shown a likelihood of success, including on its claim that Microsoft would make Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox. Ninth Circuit opinion, FTC v. Microsoft, No. 23-15992
  9. 2025-05-22 Official The FTC issued an order dismissing its administrative complaint against the Activision Blizzard deal, closing the matter. FTC case page

Cloud, AI and software licensing probes

  1. 2024-01-25 Official The FTC ordered Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Anthropic and OpenAI to provide information on their generative AI investments and partnerships, under its 6(b) study power. FTC press release
  2. 2025-01-17 Official FTC staff published the results of the 6(b) study of the Microsoft-OpenAI, Amazon-Anthropic and Google-Anthropic partnerships, flagging possible effects on access to computing power and engineering talent, switching costs and access to sensitive information. FTC press release
  3. 2025-03-05 Ruled The CMA decided that Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI did not qualify for investigation under UK merger law. Competition and Markets Authority case page
  4. 2025-07-31 Ruled The CMA published the final decision of its cloud services market investigation, recommending that it prioritise strategic market status investigations into the two largest providers, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services. Competition and Markets Authority case page
  5. 2026-02-13 Reported Bloomberg reported that the FTC had issued civil investigative demands to at least six Microsoft rivals in business software and cloud computing, examining licensing and whether Microsoft monopolizes enterprise computing with its cloud and AI products. No charges have been filed. Bloomberg report
  6. 2026-03-31 Official The CMA board decided to open a strategic market status investigation into Microsoft's business software ecosystem from May 2026, citing its cloud market finding that Microsoft's software licensing reduced competition in cloud. Competition and Markets Authority press release
  7. 2026-10-16 Official The CMA proposed designating Microsoft with strategic market status in business software, naming bundling, security products and cloud licensing as areas for possible action. The findings are provisional and the final decision is due by February 2027. Competition and Markets Authority press release

Bribery, sanctions, privacy and consumer cases

  1. 2019-07-22 Official Microsoft settled SEC charges under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act over its subsidiaries in Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Turkey, paying $13.78 million in disgorgement plus $2.78 million in interest without admitting or denying the findings. Microsoft Hungary agreed to an $8.75 million criminal fine under a non-prosecution agreement with the Justice Department. SEC administrative proceeding summary, File No. 3-19260
  2. 2023-04-06 Official Microsoft agreed to pay $3,327,896.86 in combined civil penalties to Treasury's OFAC and Commerce's BIS. OFAC's $2.98 million settlement covered 1,339 apparent violations involving software and services for sanctioned jurisdictions and blocked persons, which OFAC called non-egregious and voluntarily self-disclosed. U.S. Treasury press release
  3. 2023-06-05 Official Microsoft agreed to pay $20 million to settle FTC charges that it collected personal information from children who signed up for Xbox without notifying their parents or getting consent, and kept that data improperly. The proposed order needed federal court approval. FTC press release
  4. 2024-10-24 Ruled Ireland's Data Protection Commission fined LinkedIn Ireland 310 million euros, finding it had no valid legal basis under the GDPR for using members' data for behavioural analysis and targeted advertising, and ordered it to bring the processing into compliance. Data Protection Commission press release
  5. 2025-10-27 Filed Australia's consumer regulator, the ACCC, sued Microsoft Australia and Microsoft Corporation in the Federal Court, alleging it misled about 2.7 million subscribers by not telling them about a cheaper Classic Microsoft 365 plan without Copilot when prices rose. ACCC media release
  1. 2023-12-04 Filed The Authors Guild filed an amended class-action complaint in its copyright suit over OpenAI's models, adding Microsoft as a defendant. Authors Guild press release
  2. 2023-12-27 Filed The New York Times sued Microsoft and OpenAI companies for copyright infringement in the Southern District of New York, seeking billions of dollars in statutory and actual damages for the use of its articles to build GPT models and Copilot. Complaint, The New York Times Co. v. Microsoft Corp. (S.D.N.Y.)
  3. 2024-11-14 Filed Elon Musk's amended complaint against OpenAI in federal court in Oakland added Microsoft as a defendant, alongside new claims including antitrust counts. First amended complaint, Musk v. Altman, No. 4:24-cv-04722 (N.D. Cal.)
  4. 2025-10-28 Official Microsoft and OpenAI signed a new agreement at OpenAI's recapitalization. Microsoft holds about 27 percent of OpenAI Group PBC, valued at about $135 billion, keeps Azure API exclusivity until AGI, and an independent expert panel will verify any declaration of AGI. Microsoft official blog
  5. 2026-01-15 Ruled In the Musk case, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers granted Microsoft summary judgment on the unjust enrichment and tortious interference claims and denied it on the claim that Microsoft aided and abetted a breach of fiduciary duty, sending that claim to trial. Order on summary judgment, Musk v. Altman (N.D. Cal.)
  6. 2026-05-18 Ruled An advisory jury in Oakland found Musk's claims against OpenAI and Microsoft were filed too late, including the claim that Microsoft aided and abetted a breach of charitable trust, and the judge adopted the verdict. CNBC report

Documents

Sources behind this file

  1. The Intercept's complaint against OpenAI and Microsoft ยท Court filing, Feb 28, 2024

Connected files

  • OpenAI ยท OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research best known for igniting the modern generative AI boom. ยท 2 shared stories
  • Sam Altman ยท American entrepreneur and investor (born 1985) ยท 2 shared stories
  • Anthropic ยท An AI safety and research company known for building Claude and pioneering Constitutional AI. ยท 1 shared story
  • The New York Times Company ยท Publisher of The New York Times ยท 1 shared story
  • United States Department of Justice ยท US federal department led by the attorney general ยท named in the record
  • Federal Trade Commission ยท U.S. agency that protects consumers and promotes competition ยท named in the record
  • Amazon ยท Online retailer behind the Prime subscription service ยท named in the record
  • Elon Musk ยท American businessman (born 1971) ยท named in the record