The European Commission yesterday gave Microsoft a final opportunity to co-operate with its antitrust case, or face a potential fine of up to ?2 billion.
\n The Commission presented the software giant with a final statement of objections against its business practice, alleging it is still unfairly dominating the market, where it provides over 90pc of operating systems, despite rebukes from US courts.<\/p>\n
The statement, the third and final in a case which has now run for four years, picks out two areas where Microsoft is allegedly guilty of breaking monopoly regulations.<\/p>\n
It says Microsoft’s inclusion in Windows operating systems of its own media player – which plays video and music files – provides an unfair advantage over its competitors such as RealPlayer and Apple’s Quicktime.<\/p>\n
It also alleges Microsoft’s refusal to disclose details about how rival systems can communicate with networks running its systems is detrimental to competition.<\/p>\n
Microsoft has a month to respond to the claims. The EC said potential remedies include opening its servers’ code to other firms and bundling alternative media players with new copies of Windows – or not including any player at all.<\/p>\n
If Microsoft does not co-operate and is judged to have broken antitrust laws, it faces a fine of up to 10pc of its annual turnover, which in June was $32.2 billion (?20 billion).<\/p>\n
A spokesman from Microsoft said it was examining the statement in detail. “Microsoft takes this investigation very seriously, and continues to work hard to maintain a dialogue that will allow positive resolution to the Commission’s concerns and this new statement.”<\/p>\n
US courts found Microsoft abused antitrust regulations two years ago in a similar case, but the Department of Justice scaled back sanctions.<\/p>\n
more from [url=http:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/money\/main.jhtml?xml=\/money\/2003\/08\/07\/cnmicro07.xml&menuId=242&sSheet=\/money\/2003\/08\/07\/ixcity.html]The Telegraph[\/url]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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