Microsoft, Google: We'll Stop It With the Regulatory Battles

Google and Microsoft have called a worldwide truce on regulatory complaints against each other, Re/code reports. The two have fought vigorously over everything from patents to search results, but will now end current complaints and rely less on legal proceedings for future disputes.

"Microsoft has agreed to withdraw its regulatory complaints against Google, reflecting our changing legal priorities," a Microsoft spokesperson told PCMag. "We will continue to focus on competing vigorously for business and for customers."

Google echoed Microsoft's statement, claiming that "Our companies compete vigorously, but we want to do so on the merits of our products, not in legal proceedings."

Both companies have been the target of antitrust lawsuits brought by European regulators in recent years. At the moment, the EU is probing Google's favorable treatment of its comparison shopping services, as well as its desktop search practices. Just this week, the commission also formally filed charges against Google for anti-competitive behavior related to its Android operating system.

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Google, Microsoft End Patent Feud

When it comes to Google EU probes, Microsoft has sided with regulators in the past. But last fall, they ended their long-running patent feud, indicating that the cutthroat rivalry between the two was softening. The patent agreement was related to Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility, which has since been sold to Lenovo, but Google and Microsoft said they would also be "working together in other areas in the future to benefit our customers."