Microsoft suffers stunning EU antitrust defeat

MICROSOFT SUFFERS STUNNING EU ANTITRUST DEFEAT
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: David Lawsky and Michele Sinner]
Microsoft suffered a stunning defeat on Monday when a European Union court backed a European Commission ruling that the U.S. software giant illegally abused its market power to crush competitors. The European Union's second-highest court dismissed the company's appeal on all substantive points of the 2004 antitrust ruling. The court said Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, was unjustified in tying new applications to its Windows operating system in a way that harmed consumer choice. The verdict, which may be appealed only on points of law and not of fact, could force Microsoft to change its business practices. It also gives EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes a green light to pursue other antitrust cases and complaints involving Microsoft, Intel, Qualcomm and Rambus, and to issue draft new antitrust guidelines that were put on ice pending the ruling.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSL1039839820070917

* Microsoft loses EU antitrust appeal
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/997c6f9c-64f5-11dc-bf89-0000779fd2ac.html
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