Norwegian internet and software giant Opera Ltd. (NASDAQ:OPRA) lost its antitrust challenge against Microsoft Corp.‘s (NASDAQ:MSFT) Edge browser on Wednesday, as the European Union’s General Court upheld a 2024 decision exempting Edge from Digital Markets Act gatekeeper rules.
Judges Side With Brussels Over Edge’s Market Reach
The Luxembourg-based court ruled that Edge isn’t a critical gateway for businesses reaching consumers, despite meeting the DMA’s quantitative thresholds. Judges said the Commission did not err in accepting Microsoft’s “sufficiently substantiated arguments” that Edge lacked gatekeeper status.
The DMA imposes strict obligations on dominant tech platforms.
According to Reuters, Opera had argued regulators misapplied the law’s criteria.
The ruling extends the Commission’s string of DMA court victories, raising the bar for future challenges to its Big Tech enforcement decisions.
The rivalry between the two tech giants dates back to 2007, when Opera’s complaint against Microsoft led to a €561 million EU (about $649.7 million USD at current exchange rates) fine in 2013 for failing to offer browser choice.
Trading Metrics
| Metric | Opera (OPRA) | Microsoft (MSFT) |
|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $1.67B | $3.72T |
| 52-Week High | $21.06 | $553.72 |
| 52-Week Low | $11.71 | $349.20 |
| YTD Gain | 31.90% | 5.94% |
On Tuesday, Opera stock closed at $18.77, down 2.39%, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicates OPRA stock has a negative price trend across all time frames.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
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