Microsoft hit with anti-competition fine

Microsoft has been fined €280.5m (£194m) by the European Commission for failing to comply with an anti-competition ruling.

The landmark EU ruling in 2004 ordered Microsoft to provide rival firms with information about its Windows operating system.

The commission says Microsoft could also face daily fines of €3m if it fails to supply ‘complete and accurate’ technical information to rival developers.

The software giant says it will appeal as it believes it has met the commission’s demands. It will argue that the original demand was too vague and it had since done everything it could to comply with the ruling and provide the required information.

Microsoft is expected to deliver the final bundle of information for use by rival software firms on 18 July, ahead of the EC’s deadline of July 24.

Under the 2004 ruling, Microsoft was told to provide rivals with more information about its software, in order to enable them to write programs that could run more smoothly on Microsoft’s widely-used Windows operating system.

The judgment also called for Microsoft to rebundle its Windows Media Player from its Windows operating system.

The EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes was reported to say Microsoft has still not put an end to its illegal conduct and no company was above the law.

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