Microsoft Corporation has been charged $1.3 billion, the biggest ever amount by the European Union, for exploiting software developers with ‘unreasonable prices’ for information.
The company has been accused of demanding excessive fees for patent licenses needed by rivals to connect products to the Windows platform.
The fine comes only a week after the corporation agreed to be more generous in giving information to rival companies developing compatible software.
EU regulators said the prices were ‘unreasonable’, adding to the two additional antitrust enquiries already being undertaken by the EU against Microsoft.
"Microsoft was the first company in 50 years of EU competition policy that the commission has had to fine for failure to comply with an antitrust decision," said European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes.
This latest punishment brings Microsoft's total EC fines to $2.52 billion.
It said in a statement the fines concerned "past issues" and it was now looking to the future.
February 27, 2008
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