Google Promises CISPE Millions to Pursue Microsoft in Antitrust Case

Google has offered €470 million to a group of European cloud players under the umbrella of CISPE if it continues its antitrust case against Microsoft. Just last week, CISPE reached an agreement with Microsoft on cheaper services from the company on its Azure cloud platform.

Microsoft paid CISPE a sum to settle a case it had brought before EU antitrust authorities. Microsoft also promised to make the necessary changes to its software licenses to prevent future disputes.

Google complained that Microsoft was bribing the plaintiff in this way, but now it appears that it has promised a sum of money itself — precisely to continue the case against Microsoft, Bloomberg and others report.

It is not known how much Microsoft is paying. An anonymous source told The Register that Google wanted to double that amount so that an antitrust investigation could be conducted. AWS is also said to be chipping in (€6 million, according to Bloomberg), despite being part of the CISPE consortium itself. Commenting on the matter, AWS said that as a member, it had previously made voluntary contributions to CISPE and that this was common when participating in trade organizations.

Benefits spread over five years

The amount from Google would not be distributed in cash, but in the form of all kinds of benefits for using the software, spread over five years. Ultimately, CISPE considered the offers of both players and chose the offer of Microsoft. Microsoft also promised a voluntary contribution of 10 million euros. In addition, it would make its services more widely available to local cloud infrastructures.

The big cloud players (Microsoft with Azure, Amazon with AWS, and Google Cloud Platform) are looking to grab a share of the European cloud market. Partly to meet data residency requirements, they are opening data centers on the continent or expanding existing ones. This includes Google in Finland and Microsoft in Sweden. AWS is investing billions in infrastructure in Italy, Spain, and Germany, among others.

Read also: Microsoft Reaches Agreement with European Cloud Players to Develop Azure Platform