Microsoft chief Bill Gates visits the headquarters of the European Union on Tuesday, at a time when there is still a disagreement with the EU head office over how the software giant should adapt to the landmark ruling against it.
Microsoft said it will respect last March’s ruling while its appeal is pending before EU courts, but the EU head office still has problems with exactly how the company’s immediate compliance will work.
As part of the EU ruling, Microsoft has said it will soon send computer manufacturers a version of its Windows platform without Media Player, under an interim EU ruling in December.
But the European Commission said on Monday it was still negotiating with the company over how the stripped-down version would be presented to consumers.
The EU head office also has problems with the provision of information to allow third parties to ensure that group servers function properly on Windows PCs.
Gates is not expected to negotiate with EU officials on any of these issues.
But he will still meet with EU legislators — the top trade, industry and internal market commissioners. No talks were planned with the head of the antitrust office, which imposed the measures on Microsoft.
The European Commission had ruled that Microsoft abusively wielded its Windows software monopoly and locked competitors out of the market. It also imposed a 497-million euro ($651-million) fine and forced it to share some software blueprints with competitors.
Over the weekend, Microsoft agreed to an EU demand to use another name for the stripped-down version after the Commission balked at ”Windows XP Reduced Media Edition.”
Industry analysts though the name would discourage sales.
Microsoft spokesperson Stacy Drake said the company is working with the European Union on a suitable alternative. – Sapa-AP