Italy's competition authority announced on Friday that it has opened an inquiry into Microsoft Corp concerning alleged unfair commercial practices tied to a price increase for the Microsoft 365 subscription service.
The regulator's statement emphasized that Microsoft did not provide adequate notice to consumers that the Microsoft 365 offering had been integrated with two artificial intelligence tools - Copilot and Designer. According to the authority, customers were transferred automatically to a more expensive subscription tier unless they took active steps to opt out of the change.
In addition, the watchdog said consumers were not given sufficient information to make an informed choice about renewing their contracts. The regulator framed the company’s approach as potentially aggressive, on the grounds that it unduly constrained consumers' freedom to choose whether to accept the new terms or remain on their existing plans.
The announcement focuses narrowly on whether the company’s communications and the mechanics of the subscription change meet the legal standards applicable to unfair commercial practices. The authority’s language highlights two central concerns: the adequacy of disclosure regarding new AI functionality in the product, and the method by which customers were migrated to a higher-priced plan.
The inquiry is administrative in nature and the regulator’s statement identifies the elements it will evaluate rather than asserting a final finding. At this stage the authority has described the practices it believes may be problematic without resolving whether they constitute a breach of competition or consumer-protection rules.
For consumers and market participants, the questions raised by the regulator center on transparency and the mechanics of subscription management - specifically whether customers received clear and timely information about the product change and whether they retained meaningful choice regarding their subscriptions.
The regulator’s description categorizes the conduct as potentially aggressive because it could limit consumer autonomy in contract decisions. Beyond that characterization, the authority has not announced further measures or outcomes as part of the opening of the investigation.