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3 months ago
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Most of us here at Neowin are well aware of Microsoft's tactics to get its customers to use its Edge browser. It only recently stopped injecting massive banner ads for its own browser in Chrome's download portal. However, tired of Redmond's continued efforts to manipulate customers into using Edge rather than other alternatives, Opera has filed a complaint against Microsoft in Brazil.
As reported by The Verge, the reason for filing a complaint against Brazil rather than any other country is that it is one of Opera's main markets, where the company enjoys a respectable third place. Opera hopes that Brazil will set a global precedent for other countries if it rules in its favor.
Regarding the actual nature of the complaint, Opera alleges that Microsoft leverages "manipulative design tactics" and anti-competitive methods to force people into using Edge. Examples of this include third-party browsers not having the option of being bundled in a Windows installation, and the fact that Microsoft's own tools like Widgets, Teams, Search, and Outlook ignore a user's browser preferences and prioritize Edge when opening file like PDFs.
If Brazil's regulator does rule in favor of Opera, the company will be seeking remedies like the ability to pre-install other browsers in Windows by default and restricting "dark patterns" that force customers to use Edge.
This isn't Opera's first legal battle with Microsoft in recent memory. A little over a year ago, it pressured the European Union (EU) to label the Redmond tech firm's browser as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) due to the dominance of Windows in the desktop space and the inability for users to select a browser through a choice screen. However, Opera was unsuccessful in its efforts. As such, it will be interesting to see if it can score a win against Microsoft with its complaint this time.
