Kaspersky Lab files antitrust complaints against Microsoft in Europe

Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab yesterday said that it has filed antitrust complaints against Microsoft in Europe.

In complaints, it filed with both the European Commission and the German Federal Cartel Office, the Russian-origin cybersecurity firm alleged that Microsoft was using its dominance in the computer operating system market to promote its own Windows Defender antivirus software at the expense of third-party security software vendors.

''We see clearly - and are ready to prove - that Microsoft uses its dominant position in the computer operating system (OS) market to fiercely promote its own - inferior - security software (Windows Defender) at the expense of users' previously self-chosen security solution,'' Eugene Kaspersky, the company's CEO, wrote in a blog post yesterday.

''Such promotion is conducted using questionable methods, and we want to bring these methods to the attention of the anti-competition authorities,'' Kaspersky wrote.

Microsoft denied the allegations yesterday, saying that it complied with competition laws.

"Microsoft's primary objective is to keep customers protected and we are confident that the security features of Windows 10 comply with competition laws," a Microsoft spokesperson told The Hill.

"We're always interested in feedback from other companies and we engage deeply with anti-malware vendors and have taken a number of steps to address their feedback," the spokesperson said.

Kaspersky first approached Russia's Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), claiming that Microsoft was using its dominant position with Windows to push its own anti-virus software over competitor products with Windows 10.

Microsoft made a number of product changes after the initial complaint, but this was not enough for Kasperksy, which filed complaints with the European Commission and the German Federal Cartel Office recently.

Kaspersky claimed Microsoft had been removing its software when users upgraded to Windows 10, and enabled its own Windows Defender solution. Kaspersky further claimed that Microsoft did not provide enough time to fully test its latest Windows 10 upgrades to ensure existing software was compatible.