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Markets and Policy
The Data Unbundling Dividend
An antitrust case against software giant SAP and a new EU Act will reshape the data industry and shift power away from legacy software firms. Here’s where you’ll find upside.
By William Bronson
All featured assets were selected independently and objectively by the authors. Finance Play may receive compensation via ads and affiliate links.
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined an appeal made by giant software firm SAP, letting the Ninth Circuit’s revival of an antitrust case filed by Teradata to proceed to a jury trial set for April 2026. Teradata’s lawsuit against SAP claims SAP used its market power to box Teradata out of the database and analytics market. Those tactics, says Teradata, reduced customer choice and kept prices higher, which breaks competition rules.
Microsoft and Meta filed friend-of-the-court briefs supporting SAP, showing they are no friends to free market practices. The Ninth Circuit’s December 2024 opinion argues that SAP may have unlawfully linked its business-planning apps to its own database.
These court decisions follow a global policy momentum in the area of data. The trend is to eliminate restrictions on data use. It favors data portability (the right and ability for customers to easily move their data and digital assets between services) and interoperability (which means different systems and platforms can communicate and work together without restrictions). The EU Data Act, which went into effect on September 12, requires cloud providers to remove technical and contractual barriers that lock in customers.
Data Portability Is a Game-Changer
Enterprise software’s profit machine has long depended on bundling its software and locking customers into its proprietary, integrated ecosystems, while charging steep costs if customers want to switch and mix a rival ecosystem into their data stack. That model is now under legal and regulatory siege. The Teradata case hits at the core of SAP’s business model and similar practices by Microsoft, Oracle, and others. Bundling software was yesterday’s moat. Today it’s a lawsuit.
As courts and regulators enforce portability and interoperability mandates, the balance of power shifts dramatically from integrated software suites to neutral data platforms, which allow software from multiple vendors.
Europe is already forcing this transition. The EU Data Act requires cloud providers to enable frictionless switching, and the UK Competition and Markets Authority is targeting egress fees (the charges you pay to move data out of a provider’s system) and restrictive licenses that discourage competition. The U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission are watching this trend closely.
The effects are profound, which creates clear winners from this trend: as it becomes easier to move data, compliance and security costs go up. This benefits platforms that work on any cloud, use open APIs, and build their applications with zero-trust security.
The Software Upheaval Playbook
The Supreme Court has allowed the Teradata vs. SAP antitrust case to move to trial, putting software lock-ins under fire. SAP’s courtroom headache is your investment opportunity. Regulators are tearing down barriers to bundling, shifting power from closed ecosystems to neutral, cloud-agnostic data platforms. This creates new winners in the software space and among investors who move early. You can read about each of our top picks by clicking or tapping below:
Bottom Line
The era of forced interoperability is here. As regulators make portability the rule, value migrates from proprietary software suites to neutral data platforms and cybersecurity providers. The Teradata-SAP trial is just the spark; the fire is global. Position for the unbundling dividend now.
This website shares our opinions and commentary on markets, commodities, and other assets. We may receive financial compensation to include certain featured companies/services/etc. in this website. Such financial compensation may impact the placement, but it does not impact on our critical analysis. The opinions, analysis, and commentary contained in the website are not financial advice. Market data mentioned here may be delayed and is not real-time. Investments involve risk including the risk of loss of some, or all, of your investment, and may not be suitable for all readers. While we make a good faith effort to provide you with unbiased professional opinions, please don’t make investment decisions based solely on this content — always do your own research or talk to a qualified advisor before making any investment decisions. We’re not responsible for any actions you take based on what you read here.
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