The European Commission is poised to ticket Microsoft again , after antimonopoly regulator from the 25 countries in the European Union gave unanimous backing Monday to the Commission ’s plan to penalize the company for go bad to follow with its 2004 antitrust opinion , according to sources following the case .
The troupe confront a new mulct of hundred of gazillion of euros . The Commission , which act as as the main contender authority in the European Union , recite Microsoft in December that it had give out to comply with the March 2004 ruling . Since then it has said that the caller could be fined up to € 2 million ( $ 2.6 million , as of Monday ) a day , counting from last December .
The Commission refuse to comment on the closed door meeting it held Monday with the national regulator .
People following the meeting said there was some debate about whether to tug ahead with a new fine now , as Microsoft prepare to reconcile information that it hop will meet the necessary of the 2004 opinion .
On March 24 , 2004 , the Commission fined Microsoft € 497 million for leveraging its near - monopoly in the PC operating system grocery store to gather reward in the markets for workgroup server operating systems and medium role player .
Among other remedies , the Commission order Microsoft to release a version of Windows XP without a built - in media actor , and to put up its competitors with details of certain communicating protocol used by its server ware . The Commission appointed a monitoring regent to keep tabs on Microsoft ’s progress in meet the curative .
ab initio Microsoft claimed it had submitted adequate information but in April it said it finally understand what information the governor was asking for .
Since then it has been working nearly with the Commission and the trustee , Neil Barrett , a reckoner expert pick by Microsoft to monitor the fellowship ’s deference with the 2004 ruling .
Microsoft said in a statement Monday that it is dedicating “ massive resources ” to ensure it meets “ the aggressive docket and the high lineament standard ” typeset by the Commission and the trustee .
Before Monday ’s confluence , some of the national regulator were expected to call on the Commission to back off , at least until the terminal lot of technical information has been give in . It is due by July 18 , according to deadlines harmonize between the Commission , the trustee , and Microsoft .
But there was no real attempt to put the brakes on the cognitive operation . “ On the contrary , the internal regulators were all flop behind the Commission , ” said one source close to the proceedings .
The next step in the mental process is another meeting between the Commission and home regulators next Monday to decide how much to ticket Microsoft for failing to honour the 2004 ruling .
If the commission fine Microsoft € 2 million a day , as it has endanger to in recent calendar month , the fine would total over € 400 million — nearly as much as the first all right two years ago .
A last opinion is expected on Wednesday next week .
