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Norwegian browser-software company, Opera has complained to Brazil’s competition authority, CADE, accusing Microsoft of antitrust abuse. This action was a new salvo against tech titans charged with anticompetitive practice.
The main charge is that the tech giant is employing the Windows operating system to improperly direct users to Microsoft Edge. The company claims that this is being done at the expense of competitors in a sector where user preference should reign supreme.
Opera alleges that Microsoft’s pre-installation limits, default settings, and UI design strategies erect hurdles for competing browsers, eventually suppressing competition and consumer choice.
Some main practices that are cited as anti-competitive in the case of Opera are the following:
Exclusive pre-installation of Microsoft Edge on Windows computers, so that none of the competitors can be pre-installed by default.
Application of ‘dark patterns,’ design tactics that create obstacles for users to download or switch to other browsers.
The default settings manipulation is such a manner that links and documents (such as PDFs or emails) continue to open in Edge even when another browser is used as the default.
Granting money incentives and lifting OEM restrictions for delivering devices in Windows S Mode, which prevents the installation of non-Microsoft browsers.
Brazil is one of its most potent markets. Opera has almost 7% of the desktop browser share here, against Microsoft Edge’s 11.5% and Google Chrome’s commanding 75%.
With this action, Opera is not only challenging the company's behavior worldwide but also making an argument where it has a solid local presence and user base. The company is petitioning CADE to implement remedies like a neutral browser choice screen, OEM freedom in preloads, and bans on manipulative interface design.
Back in 2007, Opera sued the company similarly in the European Union. That case gave rise to the browser ballot obligation and a €561 million fine for Microsoft. It is now trying to repeat the feat regionally in Brazil, relying on past judicial history and the latest user statistics to make its argument.
Also Read: Opera Launches Neon: An AI Browser That Can Shop, Code, and Create
If CADE sustains the complaint, it could become a regulatory standard in Latin America for promoting and installing browsers. Microsoft could be compelled to permit more browser flexibility and transparency on Windows computers.
The case could reopen the worldwide debate regarding default software bias and consumer choice on technology platforms. Opera’s challenge to Edge in Brazil is more than a corporate dispute. It’s a battle over user rights, software fairness, and how far dominant platforms can favor their products.
