Translated material
Microsoft is trying to resolve the conflict with the EU
Microsoft has tried to settle its differences with the European Commission by offering to include competitors' software applications in a set of software distributed on CDs with personal computers, according to the Financial Times. The European Commission was not enthusiastic about the idea and stated that this step is not enough to finally resolve the issue. Microsoft's competitors, whose products the corporation proposes to record on such a CD - in particular, RealNetworks - are also not satisfied with this step, since the level of user interest in the software distributed in this way is extremely low.
Earlier, the European Commission issued a preliminary verdict on antitrust claims against Microsoft: the corporation was found guilty of violating European antitrust laws. The final verdict is expected by May 2004.
In particular, the European Commission concluded that Microsoft unlawfully restricts competitors' freedom of action by embedding its Windows Media Player into Windows. According to Microsoft, Windows Media Player is an integral part of the operating system. In August 2003, the European Commission demanded that Microsoft either remove the media player from Windows or include a number of competing software products.