Microsoft ruling due

The future of software giant Microsoft is at stake in Europe's top court on Monday, when the Court of First Instance, the second-highest court in the European Union, will announce its long-awaited decision in the fight between Microsoft and the European competition authorities. Microsoft three years ago appealed against the European Commission's decision to fine it nearly 500 million euro on the software giant for abusing its dominant market position. It was the highest competition fine in European history. The Seattle-based company at the time had a market share of some 95 percent in the market for PC operating systems. That's super-dominant, according to Brussels. Brussels ordered Microsoft to unbundle for instance its Windows Media Player from the Windowns operating system software so that competitors like Real and Quicktime could also offer their own players. The company was also forced to share more information on the architecture of its software for servers, to make it easier for competing developers to make new programmes. But the company failed to abide by both these orders, which led to more fines in the last two years. BITE: Jonathan Todd, EU Competition Spokesman: VO: Monday's decision is seen as highly significant. If Microsoft looses it may also be forced to make major adjustments to its Vista operating system. The European Commission, in the meantime, has yet to decide on how it will spend the money gained from fining Microsoft. BITE: Amadeo Altafaj, EU Development Spokesman VO: Competitition Commissioner Neelie Kroes has scheduled a press conference for midday on Monday. Whoever loses the case will have two months to appeal to European Court of Justice. That decision then would take between 12 and 18 months and would be final. Monday's ruling is expected at 930 CET local time in Luxembourg. That's just after midnight in Seattle.

Submission | September 14, 2007

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