By Simon Zekaria - 28th January 2004
EU competition chief Mario Monti has said ‘time is running’ out for Microsoft to reach a settlement with the European Commission.
Speaking on Wednesday to MEPs in Brussels, Monti said: “"We are not against a settlement if that is clearly in the consumer interest, but time is running out.”
"We are indeed nearing an end in this case. [It is] fair to say we have investigated this case thoroughly and carefully."
The comments confirm that Brussels is on the verge of concluding its competition inquiry into the software practices of the US computer giant.
If the commission decision goes against the Washington-based company Brussels regulators have it in their power to impose a fine worth ten per cent of its annual revenue.
The EU on Monday clarified that it is circulating a draft decision amongst its officials and national regulators as a prelude to reaching a final verdict before May this year.
Brussels regulators are charging the company on two counts: interoperability of lower-end servers and the tying of Windows Media Player to the Windows operating system to the exclusion of rival audio/visual providers.
The EU claims Microsoft’s non-disclosure of interface information – necessary for competing servers to properly ‘talk’ with Windows PCs and servers – pushed client support in the direction of the US giant.
Brussels adds that software bundling weakens competition in favour of Microsoft and squeezes consumer choice.
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