Summarized -- European Union Threatens Microsoft With Penalties - New York Times

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-EU-Microsoft.html

The EU head office is insistent that Microsoft must provide better  
documentation on its software programs to competitors in order to  
achieve interoperability with the dominant Windows PCs and servers.   
It gave Microsoft until Jan. 25 to answer the complaint.

The EU said it also was investigating the royalties Microsoft would  
charge for using its software information and said another legal  
challenge might be issued if it was unhappy with the financial demands.

''I have given Microsoft every opportunity to comply with its  
obligations.  However, I have been left with no alternative other  
than to proceed via the formal route to ensure Microsoft's  
compliance,'' said EU Antitrust Commissioner Neelie Kroes.

The report further stated that ''the documentation appears to be  
fundamentally flawed in its conception, and in its level of  
explanation and detail.  ...  The documentation needs quite drastic  
overhaul before it could be considered workable.''

The EU ordered Microsoft in March 2004 to pay 497 million euros ($613  
million), share code with rivals and offer an unbundled version of  
Windows without the Media Player software for what it saw as an abuse  
of its dominant position in the industry.  The Court of First  
Instance, the EU's second-highest court, has not yet set a date to  
hear Microsoft's appeal.

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