TLDR
- French antitrust watchdog Autorite de la Concurrence dismissed Qwant’s complaint against Microsoft over alleged abuse of dominant position in search engine market
- Qwant accused Microsoft of imposing exclusivity restrictions and favoring itself in search advertising allocation
- The watchdog ruled Qwant failed to provide sufficient evidence to support its claims
- Qwant had relied on Microsoft’s Bing platform for delivering search and news results
- Microsoft welcomed the ruling and reaffirmed commitment to providing high-quality search services in Europe
Microsoft scored a victory in France today after a local antitrust watchdog threw out complaints from a smaller search competitor. The Autorite de la Concurrence dismissed Qwant’s allegations that the tech giant abused its market power.
The French search engine had accused Microsoft of playing unfair in the search results and advertising game. Qwant claimed Microsoft imposed exclusivity restrictions that prevented it from building out its own search engine and AI capabilities.
The company also said Microsoft gave itself preferential treatment when handing out search advertising slots. But the French watchdog wasn’t buying it.
“Qwant’s allegations of a dominant position and economic dependence are unsubstantiated,” the authority stated in its ruling. The regulator found that Qwant simply didn’t bring enough proof to back up its claims.
Here’s the twist. Qwant has historically used Microsoft’s Bing platform to power its own search and news results. That relationship forms the backdrop for this legal dispute.
Qwant Plans to Fight Back
The French search provider saw this coming. Last month, Qwant said it expected the complaint to be dismissed. The company plans to challenge the decision in court or take it to other regulatory bodies.
Microsoft didn’t waste time celebrating the win. A company spokesperson said they agreed with the decision and remain committed to delivering quality search services. The statement emphasized Microsoft’s dedication to fostering innovation for consumers and partners across France and Europe.
The watchdog also refused Qwant’s request for an interim injunction against Microsoft. This means no temporary restrictions will be placed on Microsoft’s operations while any legal battles continue.
Microsoft’s European Challenges
Microsoft provides search results to several smaller European search engines beyond Qwant. The company syndicates its search technology to Ecosia, DuckDuckGo, and Lilo.
This isn’t Microsoft’s first rodeo with European regulators this year. The company recently resolved a separate antitrust dispute with the European Union. That case involved Microsoft bundling its Teams collaboration software with Office 365 and Microsoft 365 for business customers.
Microsoft made commitments to address competition concerns in that case. The resolution came after pressure from EU regulators over how the company packaged its products together.
European authorities have ramped up scrutiny of U.S. tech companies in 2025. Regulators have questioned market dominance across multiple areas including search and artificial intelligence.
Qwant did not respond to requests for comment on the ruling. The French company will need to decide its next move in the coming weeks.
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