Microsoft’s Copilot rollout has become more than an AI upgrade. In Italy, it is now a question of subscription choice.
Italy’s competition authority is investigating whether Microsoft clearly informed Microsoft 365 users that Copilot and Designer had been added before subscriptions renewed at higher prices. The case could affect how AI features are bundled, priced, and presented to European consumers.
For users, the question is simple: should AI be a paid default inside an existing subscription, or a clearly marked option they can decline?
Italy scrutinizes the renewal path
Italy’s Competition Authority, known as AGCM, opened the case against Microsoft Ireland Operations Ltd. and Microsoft S.r.l. over alleged unfair commercial practices linked to Microsoft 365 subscription pricing.
According to AGCM, consumers may not have been told clearly enough that Copilot and Designer had been added to the service. Users also appeared to have been placed by default on a higher-priced plan unless they exercised their right of withdrawal, leaving them without enough information “to make an informed decision as to whether or not to renew their subscription.”
Microsoft said it would cooperate with the investigation, with a spokesperson saying the company “is committed to complying with Italian consumer law.”
Non-AI plans existed in some markets
Microsoft’s January 2025 consumer rollout added Copilot and Designer to Microsoft 365 Personal and Family in most markets worldwide. Copilot was added to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, while Designer brought AI image creation and editing features.
Pricing also changed, with the company raising Personal and Family plans by $3 per month in the US and applying the increase to existing subscribers at renewal.
The tech titan pointed some existing subscribers to non-AI options, including Basic and limited-time Classic plans. It acknowledged that some customers may not want AI included, saying subscribers could move to plans “without Copilot or AI credits.”
Classic plans were not universally available public plans and were not broadly offered across all EMEA markets. However, having these options shows that Microsoft has already separated AI and non-AI subscriptions, raising the direct question of why similar choices were not clearer for users in Italy and EMEA.
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European users could see tighter subscription notices
Italian consumers could see more prominent renewal notices, account-page warnings, or cancellation-flow options if AGCM presses Microsoft to change how AI-linked price increases are presented.
Across EMEA, the case gives regulators a way to question how AI add-ons are presented inside existing subscriptions. If non-AI routes exist in some markets, authorities can ask why users in other markets who face higher AI-included plans did not receive similar options or clearer instructions.
Software vendors can charge for AI features. European regulators may focus on whether subscribers had enough notice, price transparency, and a real way to decline before renewal.
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