Loading article…
Microsoft wins a court bid to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit alleging collusion with OpenAI to raise ChatGPT Plus fees, highlighting regulatory scrutiny of AI
Microsoft’s request to dismiss a U.S. antitrust lawsuit accusing the firm and OpenAI of coordinating a price increase for ChatGPT Plus was granted by a federal court on Tuesday【1】. The ruling removes an immediate legal hurdle for the companies, but the case may still proceed on appeal, keeping regulatory focus on AI subscription pricing.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Company | Microsoft |
| Issue | Antitrust lawsuit dismissal |
| Product | ChatGPT Plus subscription |
| Outcome | Court rejects claim |
The court found the plaintiff’s allegations insufficient to prove that Microsoft and OpenAI had an unlawful agreement to raise ChatGPT Plus fees. The judge noted that the complaint relied largely on speculation about pricing strategy rather than concrete evidence of a collusive arrangement【1】. The dismissal does not address the underlying pricing model, which remains a point of contention among users who have seen the subscription cost rise since its introduction.
ChatGPT Plus, the paid tier of OpenAI’s conversational AI, has become a benchmark for premium AI services, prompting rivals such as Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude to launch their own subscription offerings. The price increase—reported by users but not quantified in the court documents—has drawn criticism and fueled antitrust scrutiny, reflecting broader concerns about market concentration in the AI sector. While Microsoft’s victory removes an immediate legal threat, the case underscores the regulatory environment that AI firms must navigate as they monetize advanced models.
The dismissal highlights the difficulty of proving collusion in fast‑moving AI markets, but it also signals that pricing decisions will remain under close regulatory observation as the industry matures.
Coverage is mostly measured — 76 of 76 reports stay neutral.
Every Monday — the token unlocks, Fed dates & catalysts set to move crypto and markets this week. So you’re never blindsided.
Free · 3-min read · one-click unsubscribe
AI-assisted synthesis by the TrendWatcher Editorial Desk · sourced from 4 outlets · Jul 7, 2026 · How we report
Fewer than 4.5% of Microsoft 365's more than 450 million paid commercial seats have purchased Copilot 365.
Enterprise surveys suggest that only 20‑30% of licensed Copilot seats are used weekly, amounting to roughly 4‑6 million users.
Microsoft raised the US monthly price of Business Basic from $6 to $7 and Business Standard from $12.50 to $14, with some enterprise and frontline plans increasing by 5‑33%.