The fine, which totalled €280.5m, is the first to use a new rule
that allows the Commission to penalise companies to the tune of 5%
of sales.
Microsoft was ordered in 2004 to licence information to
competitors on how the company's Windows operating system
communicates over a network, but the Commission ruled that it has
not done this to its satisfaction.
"No company is above the law," said Neelie Kroes, European
Competition Commissioner. "I have no alternative but to levy
penalty payments for this continued non-compliance."
The fine ran from a previous hearing on 15th December last year,
when it was decided that Microsoft was not complying, to 20th June
this year. The Commission said it would levy fines of €3m a day for
continuing breaches of the order.
The original case concerned Microsoft's dominance of the PC
operating system market and how it used its power. The company's
systems work on 95% of the world's PCs but was ordered to open up
its operating system to allow non Microsoft systems to operate
fully with it. Microsoft appealed against the decision and
lost.
The company says that it has complied with the terms of the
ruling and continues to do so. "Microsoft is dedicating massive
resources to ensure we meet the aggressive schedule and high
quality standard set by the trustee and the commission in this
process,'' the company previously said in a statement. "Our
engineers are working around the clock to meet the seventh and
final delivery date for this project, scheduled for July 18."
