Microsoft appeals EU record fine

Posted on 12 May 2008 at 11:41

Microsoft has launched an appeal against the EU's record €899 million fine for antitrust violations.

The Windows maker has asked the European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg to reconsider fine, explaining that it was "filing this appeal in a constructive effort to seek clarity from the court".

The EU imposed the fine in February in apparent conclusion to its long-running dispute with Microsoft over the licensing of server protocols. Microsoft is no longer contesting that dispute, having agreed in October of last year to meet the European Commission's requirements. But it is clearly unhappy with the size of the subsequent fine.

Commission spokesman Jonathan Todd said that he expects the appeal to lose.

"The commission is confident that the decision to impose the fine is legally sound," he said.

But Philip Marsden, senior research fellow at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, said that Microsoft can be optimistic.

"There's a fairly good record of the court lowering fines the commission has made upon appeal," he said.

Author: Simon Aughton

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