EU Court Rejects Opera's Challenge to Microsoft Edge Exemption

Norwegian browser maker Opera has lost its court challenge against EU antitrust regulators' decision to exempt Microsoft's browser Edge from rules reining in the power of Big Tech. The European Commission had decided that Edge was not an important gateway for businesses to reach users, despite meeting the quantitative criteria set out under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The Luxembourg-based General Court sided with the EU antitrust watchdog, which has notched a string of court victories over its DMA decisions. The judges said the EU enforcer did not err by accepting Microsoft's arguments that Edge did not constitute an important gateway.

Opera had long been at loggerheads with Microsoft and had complained about it in 2007. This complaint led to a €561 million EU antitrust fine against Microsoft in 2013 for failing to offer users a choice of Web browser.