Microsoft is not happy
Operating system giant Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) became the first high profile victim of aggressive European Union antitrust enforcement (but it would not be the last). Slapped with almost $2B USD in fines, the company was lashed for browser bundling and other tactics viewed by the European Commission regulators as anticompetitive.
Microsoft appealed the fine, but the results were less than what it was hoping for. The appeals body -- the General Court of the European Union announced [PDF] this week its decision to cut the €899M fine to a mere €860M ($1.1B USD), a reduction of €39 (~$48M USD).
A Microsoft spokesperson told Reuters it was "disappointed with the court's ruling."
With the appeals exhausted, it now appears Microsoft will have to pay up to preserve the billions in yearly business it gets from the EU. The ruling is the latest setback for Microsoft in Europe.
The company has suffered from plenty of bad PR in Europe in the wake of UK court proceedings which detailed a sexual harassment by managers. The incident led to several resignations and several civil suits, placing Microsoft squarely in the crosshairs of the EU state's active tabloid industry.
Sources: General Court of the EU [PDF], Reuters
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