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FTC Digs Deeper Into Microsoft’s Bundling and Licensing Practices

The FTC has intensified its antitrust investigation into Microsoft by issuing civil investigative demands to at least six competing firms in the business‑software and cloud markets. Regulators are probing Microsoft’s practice of bundling AI, security and identity tools with Windows, Office, and other products, as well as licensing structures that may impede rivals. The probe revisits concerns first raised in the 1998 case that forced Microsoft to unbundle Internet Explorer, suggesting similar anti‑competitive tactics persist. The agency is also examining Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI for potential undisclosed merger issues.