Microsoft and Google have stated they will abandon all current regulatory complaints against one another, and will attempt to work among themselves to resolve issues in the future before turning to regulators.
In a statement to Re/code, a Microsoft representative said: “Microsoft has agreed to withdraw its regulatory complaints against Google, reflecting our changing legal priorities. We will continue to focus on competing vigorously for business and for customers.”
Google, on the other hand, said, “Our companies compete vigorously, but we want to do so on the merits of our products, not in legal proceedings.”
This comes on the heels of the EU lodging a formal anti-trust complaint against Android, charging that the extent to which Google prioritizes its own services on Android devices prevents healthy competition in the market.
Microsoft told Re/code that it isn’t taking a position on that case, but the company has recently backed out of groups FairSearch and ICOMP, antitrust watchdogs that frequently raise actions against Google.
Microsoft and Google say this deal has been in the works for some time. The agreement also follows the two companies settling a five-year patent battle and dropping 20 lawsuits in September.
Some of this may be due to the new leadership, with Satya Nadella helming Microsoft and Sundar Pichai at Google. Both certainly seem more open to working together than previous CEOs Ballmer and Schmidtt, who led the companies through a famously heated relationship.
This new era of partnership may be particularly beneficial for Microsoft, which has lately appeared to be giving up on its Windows mobile dreams in favour of releasing products to iOS and Android. Android in particular represents a large market for the company. In February, it announced that 74 Android OEMs were pre-installing its apps, including LG and Sony.
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[source]Re/code[/source]
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