Russian-based Kaspersky Labs is backing away from its earlier threat of an antitrust case filing with the European Commission, instead opting for a "wait and see" approach with regards to its complaints with Microsoft over Windows 10 and its included security software "Windows Defender."

Kaspersky Labs has been threatening to press an antitrust action since November 2016, when in a November blog post titled "That's it. I've had enough!" Chief Executive Eugene Kaspersky complained that Microsoft did not give developers ample time to prepare for a new Windows release, and was using their "compatibility checker" tool to effectively remove competing software in favor of Windows Defender.

This new stance of working with Microsoft rather than taking them to court appears to be prompted by recent Microsoft software changes favoring interoperability with third party apps, perhaps some of them seen in the recently released "Creators Update." I can only speculate there as a news reporter however, as sadly Kaspersky did not elaborate on his exact requests or what changes Microsoft had made. He did say that "They are listening to us and they made a few changes. It's an ongoing process," and that regarding the lawsuit "Of course if Microsoft agrees to all our requests we will not file it," indicating they are not necessarily certain of their course at this time, and will be actively working with Microsoft before making a decision.

Things look very different however if you look eastward, to the Russian Federation, home of Kaspersky Labs and a very active antitrust case against Microsoft over this very same issue. If one were to speculate, one may conclude they are waiting to see if they can win the "home game" before moving on to the less-friendly EU, but that is only speculation on my part, and certainly not the official story from Kaspersky at this moment. Take that bit with your usual grain of salt.