EU launches another antitrust offensive against Microsoft

 

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By Reuters

Posted on 14 Jan 2008 at 18:07

The European Commission, fresh from a major court victory over Microsoft, has launched new antitrust investigations into the software giant.

The new probes will investigate suspicions that Microsoft abused its market dominance to favour its web browser and Office product.

The European Union says it will look into complaints from rivals that Microsoft unfairly tied its web browser to the Windows operating system and made it harder for software rivalling Office and Outlook to work with Windows.

"This initiation of proceedings does not imply that the Commission has proof of an infringement. It only signifies that the Commission will further investigate the case as a matter of priority," the Commission claims.

It was acting after receiving a complaint from Norwegian browser firm, Opera. Another complaint was lodged by a software makers' group, the European Committee for Interoperable Systems, which claims Microsoft didn't disclose enough interoperability information for a range of products that compete with Office and Outlook.

The move represents a new front in a long-running battle between Brussels and the US software maker. That tussle came to a head last September when the EU's number-two court threw out Microsoft's appeal against a landmark ruling by the Commission in 2004, which said the company illegally tied its Media Player software to Windows. The Opera complaint is based on that precedent.

The court also ruled that Microsoft failed to provide interoperability information needed for server software used by office workers.