EU Court Rejects Opera's Bid to Label Microsoft Edge as DMA Gatekeeper
The EU General Court dismissed Opera Norway's attempt to have Microsoft Edge designated as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act, leaving the browser off the list.
A panel of the EU General Court ruled against Opera Norway's request to overturn the European Commission's decision that excludes Microsoft Edge from the Digital Markets Act gatekeeper regime. Although Edge meets the numerical thresholds, its share of European web page views—5.8% in December 2022—lags far behind Chrome's 59% and Safari's 22%, leading the court to accept the Commission's assessment of limited gateway importance.
The judgment highlighted that pre-installation and task-bar pinning on Windows do not automatically confer gatekeeper status, especially given Edge's reliance on the Blink engine. Scholars from Tilburg University and VU Amsterdam noted the case adds to the emerging “law of evidence” for DMA enforcement. Microsoft and the Commission praised the decision, while Opera pledged to keep advocating for stronger browser choice, and Mozilla echoed concerns about competition and AI integration.
Why it matters
The ruling shapes how EU tech regulations will treat pre-installed browsers and impacts competition in the European software market.
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