:: Deepquest ::

The European Commission held out the possibility on Friday that Microsoft Corp. may face fines up to 5 percent of its average daily turnover unless it complies soon with an EU antitrust decision.
Last month Microsoft lost a months-long bid to suspend sanctions for breaking the law and said it would offer a stripped-down version of Windows and share some protocols with rival makers of servers by early February.

“We obviously expect the remedies to be complied with within a matter of weeks — measured from last December — rather than months,” spokesman Jonathan Todd said on Friday.

Asked what the Commission can do if the software giant fails to comply, Todd said:

“The … regulation allows the Commission to decide to impose penalty payments up to 5 percent of Microsoft’s average daily turnover.”

He also said Microsoft must refrain from contractual terms that would make the unbundled version less attractive.

The Commission decided 10 months ago that Microsoft abused its virtual monopoly of the Windows operating system and has already fined it 497 million euros ($647.9 million).

Microsoft has paid the 497 million euros fine.

from [url=http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1756433,00.asp]Eweek[/url]