Google claims that Vole used the licensing terms in its Office 365 productivity software to lock customers into separate contracts with its Azure cloud server business

Microsoft is the second largest cloud provider after Amazon, and Google is a distant third. Google has previously complained about Microsoft's cloud licensing practices to European regulators.

Under pressure, last year Microsoft agreed to change its licensing practices in the region to make it more affordable for Azure customers to use additional cloud providers, but the changes didn't apply to US customers.