NEW YORK — The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has opened a broad antitrust investigation into Microsoft, including of its software licencing and cloud computing businesses, a source familiar with the matter said on Nov 27.

The probe was approved by FTC chair Lina Khan ahead of her likely departure in January. The election of Donald Trump as US president, and the expectation he will appoint a fellow Republican with a softer approach toward business, leaves the outcome of the investigation up in the air.

The FTC is examining allegations the software giant is potentially abusing its market power in productivity software by imposing punitive licencing terms to prevent customers from moving their data from its Azure cloud service to other competitive platforms, sources confirmed earlier this month.

The FTC is also looking at practises related to cybersecurity and artificial intelligence products, the source said on Nov 27.

Microsoft declined to comment.

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