EU’s antitrust regulator is taking a deeper look into Microsoft’s $16 billion deal for transcription technology company Nuance Communications, asking customers and competitors to draw up a list of concerns, according to a questionnaire from last month seen by Reuters.
The previously unreported outreach is the most extensive by an antitrust authority since the companies announced the acquisition in April, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Microsoft declined to comment, and Nuance did not respond to a request for comment.
After minimal review, the US Departmentof Justice in June and the Australian Competition Commission in October said they would not contest the deal. The companies filed for approval from the European Commission’s competition bureau last month, and the regulator has until Dec. 21 to clear the deal or open a bigger investigation.
The companies had expected to close the deal by the end of this year, but said last month the timeline could slip to early next year.
The questionnaire asks whether Microsoft and Nuance are competitors and whether a tie-up could affect clients and rivals, including whether Microsoft could favor Nuance over competing services.
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