Microsoft threatens European Vista delay over EU laws

Microsoft has repeatedly expressed its frustration with the European Commission's antitrust regulations ever since the 2004 imposition of a 500 million Euro fine for anti-competitive behavior, arguing that the necessity of opening source code or removing Windows Media Player is neither necessary nor effective. The company brought this dissatisfaction with the EC to the forefront today when it threatened to delay the European launch of its upcoming Windows Vista, according to Reuters. Microsoft claimed in a statement that the release of the much-delayed operating system for the continent depended on the EC's antitrust requirements, prompting multiple EU parliament members to critcize the Commission for risking the competitiveness of European companies, who may need Vista for software development in the near future. The EC flatly rejected the threat. "It is not up to the Commission to give Microsoft a green light before Vista is put on the market; it is up to Microsoft to accept and implement its responsibilities as a near-monopolist," a spokesman said. Microsoft has been historically reluctant to address its dominance: in 1998 the company alluded to disastrous consequences from any legal challenges to its practices.