Microsoft in court showdown with EC
SOFTWARE giant Microsoft was today taking on the European Commission in court in a bid to curb the regulator's power and overturn a €497m (£344.5m) fine for alleged anti-trust abuses. The European Court was set to consider whether the Commission abused its power by demanding that Microsoft open the secrets of its Windows computer operating system, or whether the company abused those secrets to crush rivals.
If the Commission loses, the powers of the Competition Commission will be gravely undermined. If it wins, Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes will take further action to force Microsoft to open the door to rival products that can run on Windows.
