REDMOND, Wash. — Microsoft Corp., which has already shelled out $2.5 billion in antitrust fines in Europe, is on the brink of closing a chapter in its long-running battle with regulators there, just in time for another to begin.
European regulators said Wednesday they were preparing to settle their investigation into the way Microsoft includes its market-leading Internet Explorer Web browser with the Windows operating system. Competing software makers had complained that PC users didn’t have a clear way to choose a browser that challenges Internet Explorer, and the European Commission concluded in January that Microsoft was violating antitrust laws.
Now, the regulators in Brussels say they will move forward with a proposal made by Microsoft in July that aims to give Windows users in Europe a better tool for choosing different Web browsers.
At a news conference at Microsoft’s headquarters Wednesday, the company’s general counsel, Brad Smith, said the EU announcement was a big step toward ending the company’s antitrust conflicts in Europe.
It also will free Microsoft’s legal team to push the software maker’s search deal with Yahoo Inc. over regulatory hurdles. The Associated Press
