United States software giant Microsoft has made a new appeal against an European Union competition ruling against it in March 2004 for abusing its dominant market position, the company said on Wednesday.
The European Commission last year fined the software group a record €497-million ($610-million), and also forced it to market a version of its Windows operating system without bundling it to its software Media Player.
Microsoft said it had filed an application on August 10 for annulment of the ruling over the issue of “broad licenses in source code form of communications protocols which are based upon Microsofts intellectual property.”
“This filing is the result of the agreement we reached with the Commission in June to put this particular issue to the (EU) court of first instance for guidance and avoid any further delay in the process.
“We are taking this step so the court can begin its review now of this issue given its far reaching implications for the protection of our intellectual property rights around the world,” it added. – AFP