Microsoft Begins EU Antitrust Appeal

Microsoft has begun appealing antitrust rulings in the EU, arguing the company's software offerings have not hindered consumer choice.

In its antitrust appeal to Europe’s Court of First Instance, software titan Microsoft is claiming that the European Commission made “fundamental” errors in deciding the company violated antitrust regulations by bundling Windows Media Player into copies of its Windows operating system sold in Europe.

The European Commission held that if Microsoft were to bundle multimedia software with its operating system, rival media players (such as Real Networks RealPlayer and Apple’s QuickTime) would be forced out of the market, leaving consumers with no choice but Microsoft’s software. In 2004, the EC fined Microsoft