EC launches anti-trust case against Microsoft

The European Commission (EC) has launched its anti-trust case against Microsoft for alleged breaches of European Union (EU) competition law.

Competition Commissioner Mario Monti has sent a statement, with a list of potential breaches, to Microsoft. The software giant has two months to respond.

The case follows a complaint by rival Sun Microsystems, that insisted Microsoft was withholding information allowing server operating systems to integrate with Windows on PCs.

Microsoft must defend itself in writing initially, but can request an oral hearing. If Microsoft is found guilty of having broken competition regulations, it can be fined up to 10 per cent of its revenue under EU law.

Commissioner Monti said in a statement: "We will not tolerate the extension of existing dominance into adjacent markets though the leveraging of market power by anti-competitive means under the pretext of copyright protection. All companies that want to do business in the EU must play by its anti-trust rules."

This case is unrelated to an investigation currently being undertaken by the Commission into Windows 2000 on behalf of European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It is also separate from the US anti-trust case that found Microsoft guilty of anti-competitive behaviour and ordered the break-up of the company in June.