The statement was made as part of the Coalition's response to an FTC request for information on cloud computing business practices that could affect competition and data security.

“Microsoft has a proven history of leveraging its dominance in one market to gain a foothold and extinguish competition in another," Coalition executive director Ryan Triplette said.

"Today the software giant is using that same playbook to exploit customers’ dependence on its desktop operating system, server, and productivity software to force customers to use Azure and other products in the Microsoft ecosystem."

In the statement, the Coalition pointed out that nearly 30 years ago, the US Department of Justice had found Microsoft guilty of violating US anti-trust law for tying its Internet Explorer browser to its desktop operating system.

It accused Microsoft of tying numerous products to Windows, Office, and Azure.

In the submission, Triplette detailed how Microsoft’s software licensing practices — restricting Bring Your Own Licence practices, discriminatory licensing and tying — reduced customer choice, healthy competition, and cyber security in the cloud.

“We are asking the FTC to open an investigation into Microsoft’s anti-competitive restrictive software licensing practices,” Triplette added.

“Any inquiry into cloud computing in the US would be incomplete without a closer look at Microsoft’s anti-competitive software licensing and its impacts on customers.”

The Coalition pointed out that Microsoft had faced four complaints from European regulators in recent times and these were pending before the European Commission.

Additionally, it said, the German Federal Cartel Office had also begun an investigation, adding that Microsoft had responded with minor policy changes that did not address customer concerns.

A copy of the Coalition’s public comment can be found here; a brief overview of the public comment can be found here.