Microsoft’s chief executive Steve Ballmer will meet with the European Union’s antitrust chief next week, her spokesperson said on Friday, as the company appeals a March 2004 ruling by EU regulators.
Neelie Kroes planned to meet Ballmer over breakfast on Wednesday to discuss general antitrust issues, EU spokesperson Jonathan Todd said.
Earlier this month, Kroes said her department had received new informal complaints about Microsoft, perhaps leading to the opening of a new case.
Microsoft said the meeting had no specific agenda.
”It is part of the regular dialogue between Microsoft and the commission on a range of policy issues,” said company spokesperson Tom Brookes.
EU regulators ruled last year that Microsoft had abused its near monopoly in desktop computer systems to illegally dominate the media software market and threaten the position of competitors selling office networking software.
The European Commission fined Microsoft â,¬497-million ($599-million) and ordered it to share code with rivals and to offer an unbundled version of Windows without the Media Player software.
Microsoft is appealing the ruling, but in the meantime has produced a Windows version without its bundled Media Player.
A question remains over Microsoft’s promise to give rival software makers some cost-free, additional access to its software protocols — the complex and closely guarded procedures that allow software programmes to interact with operating platforms such as Windows.
Microsoft and EU regulators have not been able to agree on which material should be free and which codes should be paid for.
The EU spokesperson also said Ballmer planned to meet with Siim Kallas, the European Commission’s vice president in charge of administration. – Sapa-AP