EU “Working On” New Microsoft Antitrust Charge
European Competition Commissioner warns it is ready to punish Microsoft for not obeying browser choice ruling
The European Competition Commissioner has told Reuters that the EU is preparing a new Microsoft antitrust complaint.
The charge relates to Microsoft’s failure to adhere to a 2009 ruling ordering it to offer Windows users a choice of browsers. However the EU has since discovered that this choice has not been offered to around 28 million PCs running Windows 7 Service Pack 1 since February 2011.
Microsoft Antitrust Investigation
Microsoft says it has only been aware of the problem since July and has blamed it on a technical glitch, but this defence appears unlikely to get it out of trouble. Joaquin Almunia confirmed reports that a new case was being prepared and said that it should not be a long investigation as Microsoft has already “explicitly recognised its breach of the agreement.”
The Redmond-based company told regulators as recently as December that it was adhering to the ruling, but has since offered to extend its agreement to 2014 as a sign of its commitment.
The settlement agreed in 2009 allowed Microsoft to avoid a fine, but if found guilty of this latest charge, it could face a fine of up to ten percent of its global turnover. Any fine could take into account repeat offences as the company has been fined more than €1 billion for breaking EU rules in the last decade.
Almunia also warned Google that it must do more to ease the EC’s concerns if it is to avoid a “lengthy” legal process. The two sides have been in regular contact to avoid an investigation into Google’s search practices.
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