Microsoft Faces Antitrust Probe In China
Microsoft is under an antitrust investigation in China, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce (SAIC) announced on Tuesday.
China's industry and commerce regulator has asked Microsoft to explain "major issues" that it says have come to light from digital data obtained as part of an anti-trust investigation. The State Administration of Industry and Commerce, or SAIC, did not say exactly what issues it was querying but the request appeared to be part of an investigation into the U.S. software titan over its Windows operating system launched in mid-2014.
The US software giant said it was committed to address SAIC's questions and concerns.
Microsoft has been teaming up with the giant systems integrator CSC to tap China's government procurement market selling its Windows 10 operating system.
Qualcomm had also been fined 6.088 billion yuan ($975 million) by the Chinese regulator NDRC after finding the company had violated anti-monopoly laws.
Last August, the SAIC questioned Microsoft's lawyer, Deputy General Counsel Mary Snapp, after formally investigating the software giant and raiding four of its offices in China, reported Reuters.
Microsoft was suspected of violating China's anti-monopoly law since June 2014 in relation to problems with compatibility, bundling and document authentication.