Opera among group complaining to European Commission over Microsoft Edge: report
Opera Limited, along with other rival browsers, has lodged a complaint with the European Commission against Microsoft, alleging that the company provides an unfair competitive edge to its Edge browser. The group, which includes Vivaldi and Waterfox, argues that Edge's distribution advantage on Windows makes it difficult for independent browsers to compete. They claim that current practices allow Microsoft to dominate the market without sufficient oversight, as Edge was not classified under the Digital Markets Act earlier this year.
- Opera Limited (NASDAQ:OPRA) is among a group of rival browsers and developers that have complained to the European Commission that Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) gives an unfair competitive advantage to its Edge web browser, Reuters reported.
- "Unfair practices are currently allowed to persist on the Windows' ecosystem with respect to Edge, unmitigated by the choice screens that exist on mobile," the group, which consists of Vivaldi, Waterfox, Wavebox and the Open Web Advocacy, wrote in a letter to the EC, according to the news outlet. "No platform independent browser can aspire to match Edge's unparalleled distribution advantage on Windows. Edge is, moreover, the most important gateway for consumers to download an independent browser on Windows PCs."
- Microsoft's Edge escaped the overview of Europe's Digital Markets Act earlier this year after regulators concluded it was not large enough.
- Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha.