Microsoft has been ordered to face a major lawsuit in the UK, accusing it of overcharging businesses for using Windows Server on rival cloud platforms.
The case, led by competition lawyer Maria Luisa Stasi, represents nearly 60,000 UK businesses and could be worth up to $2.8 billion.
The claim argues that Microsoft charged higher fees for running Windows Server on competitors like Amazon, Google, and Alibaba, compared to its own Azure platform—giving Azure a pricing advantage.
Microsoft denies the allegations and says the case lacks a clear method for calculating damages, but the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal has allowed the lawsuit to move forward to trial.
The dispute adds to broader regulatory scrutiny of Microsoft’s cloud practices across the UK, Europe, and the U.S., where authorities are increasingly examining competition in the cloud computing market.