Opera has applied to the General Court of the European Union to annul the European Commission's decision not to recognize Microsoft Edge as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The statement says that third-party browser developers still do not have equal rights in Windows, in particular because Microsoft Edge has not been defined as a "gatekeeper."
Thus, the European Commission's decision, according to the company, makes it difficult for users to choose an alternative browser on Windows and allows Microsoft to further promote Edge as the default browser.
"Today, we are appealing the European Commission’s decision* not to designate Microsoft Edge as a gatekeeper despite meeting all of the quantitative thresholds of the DMA. We believe that the decision in particular fails to properly assess Edge’s durable and privileged position on Windows devices which creates an uneven playing field for its competitors. Edge, like Internet Explorer before it, is the gatekeeper through which users on Windows must pass to download another browser. This is precisely the type of gatekeeper role which the DMA was intended to address," Opera said in a statement.
The company is convinced that Windows users should have the same free choice of browser as users of iOS or Android smartphones.
Smartphone owners in the EU are starting to receive notifications that allow them to easily choose an alternative browser, including Opera, which has already had a positive impact.
As a reminder, the gatekeeper category includes companies with a certain level of turnover in Europe and the number of users. The DMA imposes many obligations on them.