The decision by The Autorite de la Concurrence, commonly known as The Watchdog, to dismiss accusations from Qwant has brought clarity to a case that centred around claims of unfair search market practices. The local search engine had argued that Microsoft held a dominant position that limited its ability to compete, but officials said the evidence did not support these allegations.
According to the authority, Qwant did not present convincing elements to support its claims, and the request for interim measures against Microsoft was also rejected. The outcome was not unexpected, as Qwant had already stated last month that it anticipated the dismissal and planned to challenge the ruling in court or take the matter to other regulatory bodies.
Microsoft welcomed the decision and stated that it remains committed to offering high quality search services while supporting innovation for users and partners across France and Europe. Qwant had alleged that Microsoft placed exclusivity restrictions on search results and search advertising, limiting Qwant’s opportunity to grow its own search engine and artificial intelligence capabilities. It also claimed Microsoft gave itself an advantage in search advertising allocation.
Microsoft is an important provider in the search engine syndication market, supplying search results to several European services including Ecosia, DuckDuckGo and Lilo, alongside Qwant. The French company did not immediately respond to a request for comment following the ruling.
A legal challenge from Qwant now appears likely, meaning the dispute with Microsoft may continue before other authorities or in court. The ruling also signals that scrutiny of the search market in Europe will remain active as regulators and companies navigate growing competition in digital services.
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