EU Court Upholds Fine in Microsoft Antitrust Ruling

Posted June 27th, 2012 at 12:10 pm (UTC-5)
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A European Court has upheld a massive fine against computer software giant Microsoft, ending a decade-long antitrust case.

In a ruling Wednesday, judges at the European Union General Court rejected Microsoft's request to dismiss a $1.3 billion fine imposed against it by the European Commission for defying an earlier order to share data with rivals.

The court, however, reduced the fine by 4.3 percent bringing it to $1.1 billion.

European Union Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia welcomed the judgment saying “the commission remains fully committed to enforcing EU competition rules to ensure that consumers and businesses alike can benefit from innovative and interoperable products.”

In a statement, he added that “the requirement that Microsoft disclose information to its competitors” brought significant benefits to users including “a range of innovative products that would otherwise not have seen the light of day.”

Microsoft said in a statement that although the fine was slightly reduced, it remains disappointed with the ruling.

The company did not say whether it would appeal the decision to the European Court of Justice, the EU's highest court.